


Blast from the Past 3: Falling Apart

by louisethatcher5



Series: Blast from the Past [5]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Death, Drama, Family Drama, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:29:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 39,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29374626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/louisethatcher5/pseuds/louisethatcher5
Summary: Book 3 of the Blast from the Past seriesThe team are victorious in their fight against Ben and Nadakhan. Now to face what comes next...Cole's back, Jay struggles with new pressure, an old master returns, and a new character appears.(Written in March-July 2020)
Relationships: Nya/Jay Walker
Series: Blast from the Past [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2157759
Kudos: 1





	1. Steps

**Author's Note:**

> -There may be quite a few spelling and grammar mistakes, etc since I've literally just copy and pasted it from my Wattpad lmao (but just to clarify, this IS written by me)  
> -Some of it also contains flashbacks which are usually written in italics but since I copy and pasted it, it still isn't italics :/ (I'll probably go back and fix it when I have time to)

It had been just a few hours ago when Ben had been 'defeated'. The team were sure that he wouldn't return, but it didn't stop him from doing so. For now, Ben was the least of their problems. The only problem they had now was the media. That's what they thought anyway...

The media weren't going to take the whole situation lightly. Ben had disappeared, no evidence that he had actually been taken care of, there was now more drama between Jay, Cliff and Libber, and Cole had just shown up after everyone believed he was dead. There was no way that the media would be okay with this. The team were fully prepared for the amount of hate, confusion, and questions they would receive. Jay, however, was feeling a little overwhelmed. 

Nadakhan was long gone. There was no way of him returning. Jay had taken care of him for good, which meant that there were no djinns bothering Ninjago anymore. That was something the team were looking forward to. 

This whole experience had been a nightmare. But if only they knew what was coming next...

The team burst through the door of the Bounty, smiles across their faces. They were rather quiet but as soon as the last person entered the room and closed the door, they all began to cheer and clap. 

"That was awesome!" Kai exclaimed.

"We finally saved Ninjago from Ben and his rotten team," Lloyd smiled brightly.

"I'm so glad that Ben won't be bothering us anymore," Jay agreed, "I got sick of seeing his face every corner that I turned."

"Same. Ugh, I really wish I didn't date him," Nya rolled her eyes. 

Everyone froze and looked her dead in the eyes, fear written all over their faces. She quickly realised what she had done and covered her mouth.

"I didn't mean to say that. I forgot we weren't supposed to use the 'w' word," She explained.

Their dead faces returned to happy faces once again. 

"It's all good, it's gonna take us a while to get used to it," Zane replied.

"I'm really grateful that I was included in all of this. I've had so much fun! You guys are truly awesome!" Darien beamed.

"Thank you so much for all the help, Darien. We wouldn't have been able to do it without you," Jay patted him on the shoulder with a grin. Darien returned the smile.

"I better get back to work. I haven't been in for a few days. They're probably wondering where I've gone. That's if they haven't replaced me by now..." Darien told them.

"Don't worry, we'll make sure you don't lose your job," Lloyd reassured him.

"Thank you. I'll see you guys around," Darien responded as he headed towards the door, "And, you all have free entrances to the museum for whenever you want."

"Thanks, Darien!" Kai smiled as he watched his friend leave.

Darien left, closing the door behind him. Now, it was just the original team remaining. Kai, Lloyd, Jay, Zane, Nya and Cole. 

"I can't wait for Wu to get back, gosh I've missed him," Cole stated, sitting down on the sofa. 

"I know for a fact that he'll be ecstatic to see you, Cole," Zane told him, perching down beside him.

"May I be the first to say that it's a pleasure to have Cole back," Kai smiled.

"I second that!" Jay exclaimed from the kitchen.

"We can finally rest after all of this Ben nonsense," Nya sighed.

"Can someone please remind me about how all of this started out?" Cole frowned.

Jay entered from the kitchen as the team crowded around in the living room. Jay was in the middle of Nya and Cole. Zane moved so that he was sat with Kai and Lloyd on the opposite sofa. 

"Well... there was this whole issue with that pirate at Stiix," Kai began.

"And Nya's stupid allergy," Lloyd pointed out.

"Thanks for reminding me," Nya glared at him, "Seriously, though? How is it even possible to be allergic to an element?! It's ridiculous!" 

"I know right," Jay laughed.

"I swear that doctor was working for Ben all along," Nya joked.

"Ah, I'm so glad those times are over," Cole stated, "Maybe we can start a fresh. Pretend like none of that happened."

"Yeah, good idea. But I have so many questions to ask first," Kai told them.

"Me too," Jay nodded.

The room went silent for a moment. Cole's return made no sense to them but it was sure to be explained to them when it was the right time. 

"What you did back there, Jay... it was amazing," Kai pointed out.

Jay glanced up at the fire ninja, "I'm really regretting what I said now though..."

"You shouldn't. He lied to you, Jay," Cole gently touched his brother's arm for comfort.

"Yeah, you're right," He sighed, "I'm just so sick of being lied to. He knew that."

_ Flashback _

_Jay wandered up to Cliff, a stern expression on his face. He held the file where he could see it._

_"I want to know the truth."_

_"What's that?" Cliff frowned, looking at the file that Jay was holding._

_"It's a missing person's case," Jay folded his arms._

_"Who's missing?!" Nya exclaimed from behind._

_"Well they aren't missing anymore," Jay replied._

_Cliff's eyes grew wide as he realised what it was. He leaned forward, trying to snatch it out of his son's hand._

_"Give that to me!" He demanded._

_Jay moved his arm so that it was out of reach._

_"This, ladies and gentlemen, is the missing person's case for Libber Gordon," Jay spoke as he looked his father dead in the eye, "It also includes all of the data and evidence of the attempted murder of her and her son."_

_"Did you just say attempted murder?" Lloyd spoke quietly but loud enough for Jay to hear._

_"Yes. Yes I did."_

_Ed and Edna began to feel uncomfortable, being fully aware of the situation that had happened in the past._

_"What are you saying?" Tox frowned._

_"I'm saying that both me and my mother were almost killed. And this was 18 years ago tomorrow. The day that I was born," Jay explained._

_"Do you know who tried to kill you?" Cole wondered._

_Jay nodded, "None other than Cliff Gordon himself."_

_The team gasped, staying at a safe distance from the criminal in front of them._

_"The police looked into the case, but because mom had fled with me straight after the event, she wasn't questioned. The police had searched everywhere over Ninjago for both her and me but we were never found. They closed the case and the investigation, leaving the crazy killer out in the open where he could hurt anybody," Jay explained._

_"I'm not a killer," Cliff snarled._

_"Really? What if I ask mom then? What will she say? And your mother who came to save the day? Or did you try to kill her too?" Jay snapped._

_"Jay, you don't know what you're talking about," Cliff told him angrily._

_"No, dad, I do know what I'm talking about. You're a crazy psycho who wanted your wife to get an abortion for your own needs and proceeded to try and kill us both because you hadn't gotten your own way. Can't you see how selfish you are?! I'm surprised you didn't just kill me when Nadakhan dropped me off at your house like I was some cancelled delivery," Jay shouted._

_"I did none of those things!" Cliff told him, "Now give me that stupid file!"_

_"Stop thinking about yourself for once, dad! Can't you hear yourself? The only reason you're trying to cover it up is because you're scared about your social status and the world finding out about your mistakes. But don't worry, because I can see right through you. I can also see how full of yourself you are. This was why you kept everything a secret from me and continued to lie like it was nothing because you only care about what the world thinks of the fake you and not how your family thinks of the real you. Well guess what? I don't want you to have anything to do with me, the team, or the family. I don't care what mom says, I want you gone. I don't want anything to do with you anymore, dad. Or should I say Cliff?" Jay's breathing was heavy and Cole could tell he was upset._

_Cliff glanced at the rest of the team before glancing back at his son._

_"But Jay--"_

_"No," Jay ordered, "I can't have you around the team. It's putting their lives at risk. Just go."_

_Kai and Lloyd exchanged looks. They both nodded._

_Jay watched as his father wandered off into the distance. He was unsure that he would return but when he did, if he did, maybe they'd be ready to talk again. The lightning ninja sighed as he watched his childhood superhero walk away. All he could think of was his most famous Fritz Donogan quote, "Fear isn't a word from where I come from," but he could see in his father eyes that all he was feeling was fear. But maybe someday that fear would turn into courage. Courage to finally tell his son everything he knew._

_Cole wandered up to his brother and placed his hands on his shoulders before standing beside him. They looked out into the distance as the rest of the team behind them began to mutter._

_"You okay?" Cole asked hastily._

_Jay nodded._

_Cole put his arm around Jay. Jay rested his head on his older brother's shoulder._

_ End of flashback _

"I'm just glad that you guys aren't at risk anymore," Jay gave them a weak smile.

"You've been through a lot buddy, we just need to take things a step at a time," Kai told him with a reassuring smile. Jay nodded in agreement.

Lloyd glanced over at the fire ninja. Kai nodded at him.

Later that evening, Jay and Cole were sat in Jay's bedroom, catching up on some brotherly stuff.

"So what's going on with you and Nya now?" Cole wondered with a grin.

"We're good. Actually, we're great. We made up and now things are back to normal," Jay replied.

"I'm glad to hear. I really wanted you guys to make up. I don't think the team would have been able to take another Jay and Nya breakup," Cole pointed out jokingly.

Jay glanced down at his hands and smiled.

It was silent for a moment. Cole could tell that something was wrong. Jay was great at hiding his feelings but Cole could see right through him. 

"What's up?" Cole spoke after a while.

"Hm?" Jay glanced up with a frown.

"I can tell that something is bothering you. You can talk to me, you know," Cole reminded him.

"I know. I just..." Jay sighed, "So much has happened. It's really overwhelming." 

Cole nodded, "You'll be stressed for a while, Jay, but things will get better, I promise. As long as Ben and Cliff don't show up anytime soon, you'll be as right as rain in no time."

"I'm just worried, that's all," Jay replied awkwardly.

"About what?" Cole frowned.

"About... well... the team. It's like we've drifted a little. I'm just scared that we'll never be the same. Especially me. With my mental health controlling me like a roller coaster, and the memories--" Jay stopped himself and took a deep breath, "It might be too much stress... I dunno."

Cole thought for a second, "If you ever need to talk to someone, I'm here. We're brothers after all."

Jay smiled.

Cole sighed, obviously trying to get Jay's attention.

"What?" Jay raised an eyebrow.

"Oh nothing, it's just that, this time a few years ago, I never thought that we'd be able to become friends again after the whole love triangle thing. But now... we're brothers. It's unbelievable," Cole explained.

"We've come a long way since the beginning. It's insane," Jay added.

"I'm just glad we're still here. I'm glad you're still here. I don't know what I'd do without you, little bro," Cole nudged him on the arm jokingly.

"Did you just call me 'little bro'?" Jay raised an eyebrow.

"Yep," Cole laughed.

"You're so gonna pay for that, big bro," Jay laughed too.

At that moment, the door suddenly opened, revealing Kai at the door.

"Hey you two, we're having an emergency team meeting in the living room," Kai told them.

"Cool, we'll be there in a sec," Cole told him. Kai smiled at them before leaving.

Jay groaned as he scrambled off his bed. Cole got up with a laugh. 

"Whatever it is, it better be good," Cole told him.

The two boys wandered into the room, where everyone was sat on the sofas. There was a single chair at the foot of the room, in between the two sofas. Lloyd signalled Cole to sit beside Kai and Jay to sit in the chair.

Jay frowned as he sat down, confused as to what was happening. 

"So, the team, minus Cole, have been doing some thinking," Lloyd began.

Jay felt uneasy. He knew that something bad was about to happen. 

"A lot has happened since we became a full team. We've had our ups and downs. That's why we've come to an agreement about your position on the team, Jay," Lloyd explained.

Jay's heart sank. He knew exactly what was going on. He knew why he was there.

"You're kicking me off the team, aren't you?" Jay panicked a little.

Jay had shown his true self these past few months. He had shown that he was weak, easily beaten, angry, just a mess and the team had had enough. It didn't need explaining to him.

"No! Oh gosh, no!" Lloyd exclaimed, "Why would we do that?!"

Jay frowned, "Then what are you talking about?"

Lloyd took a deep breath, "I'm resigning from being team leader."

Both Cole and Jay exchanged looks.

"What? Why?" Jay frowned.

"You're our leader, Lloyd, you always have been. You're the legendary green ninja for goodness sake!" Cole complained.

"I don't think I'm as great a leader as someone else could be. So I've decided who's going to take my place," Lloyd continued, "After some long long discussions and decision making, we've decided on the perfect person to lead the team."

"Who?" Jay questioned, glancing at everyone in the room.

"You," Lloyd stated, looking Jay right in the eye.

Jay froze for a second, a frown appearing on his face, "M-me?"

Lloyd nodded. 

"But why?" Jay wondered.

"You're always trying your hardest, pushing through everything, and you always put the team's needs first. You're so caring, Jay, you'd be a much better leader than I ever have been," Lloyd explained.

"But-- but I can't! That's too much pressure, Lloyd! And you said it yourself, Kai! I need to take it a step at a time! This isn't a step! It's a freaking escalator! IT HAS NO STEPS!" Jay shouted.

"Calm down, Jay. You don't have to become leader. At least do some thinking before you make a final decision. I get that it's a large position to have, and it does take a lot of pressure, but I know you can do it, okay? We all believe in you. Just take as long as you want. No rush," Lloyd patted him on the shoulder reassuringly before getting up and leaving. The rest of the team followed.

Jay sat alone, in the single chair, in the cold room. It was silent, well all except for the ticking clock on the wall. It seemed so much louder than it usually was. Jay placed his head in his hands and groaned. 

"Why can't people understand that this is too much for me?!" Jay screamed into his hands. 


	2. Dilemma

Jay sat in his bedroom once again but this time he was alone. He had so much to think about and wasn't sure how to control his thoughts. 

He had a rough time and now the team wanted him to be leader. He wasn't sure he was ready for the kind of responsibility. He sighed again as he thought of the pros and cons for the situation. Except, all he could think of was cons. He was nowhere near being in a good enough shape to lead the team. But he also didn't want to give up a great opportunity like this. There was only one way of solving his dilemma.

He took his phone out of his back jean pocket and dialled a number. He then put the phone to his ear and waited for the other person on the line to answer.

"Hello?" A familiar female voice spoke down the phone.

"Hey mom, I have a situation that I was wondering you could help me with," Jay told them.

He wasn't sure whether Libber would help him or not since they hadn't really spoken and Jay had told his father to leave. He wasn't even sure if she went with him or not. But he desperately hoped that she was okay.

"Sure, honey, what is it?" Libber asked.

"So the team and I were talking earlier and we decided that it would be a great idea for me to take small steps at a time, you know, since after everything happened..." He began.

"Yep," She responded.

"And just now, they called a team meeting. They want me to be the new leader of the team and I don't know if I can do it," Jay sighed.

"Leader?! Wow! That's amazing, honey! But why don't you think you can do it?" She sounded confused.

"Well, after everything that has happened, I don't think my mind would be up for all that stress. Plus, what if I'm not capable to lead them? What if I fail just like I fail at everything else I do?" He wondered.

"You don't fail at everything. You persevere. That's what's great about you. You don't give up easily. They must have explained to you a good reason why they want you to be leader at least," She told him.

"They did. They told me I'm caring and that I always put the team's needs before my own. Lloyd said I'd be a better leader than he ever will but everyone knows that's not true. Lloyd is a fantastic leader! If I become leader, everything will fall apart," Jay explained.

"They weren't lying, Jay. You are incredibly strong, you just don't see it. You need to believe in yourself a little more," Libber replied, "And I can't tell you exactly what to do but I know that whatever you choose, it needs to be the right decision based on you. This isn't about the team now, Jay. It's about you. If you don't think you can do it, don't do it. But I'm just gonna say right now, you'd be a fantastic leader."

Jay thought for a second, "You really think so?"

"I know so."

"Thanks Mom."

"So how did it go?" She wondered.

"How did what go?" Jay frowned.

She sighed out of frustration, "I don't know. The beatboxing."

Jay smiled, "Oh, Ben?"

"Yeah."

Jay frowned, "Didn't Cliff tell you all about what happened?"

"He's not with you?" Libber sounded concerned.

"No. He didn't come home?" Jay questioned.

"I haven't seen him since he left with you guys," She responded.

Jay sighed, "Look, I'll come and visit you tomorrow. I've gotta talk to you about something. Just don't worry about dad, okay? He's fine."

"You sure?" She seemed worried, "Do you know where he is?"

Jay gulped, "Yep."

"Okay, see you tomorrow, honey," She told him before hanging up. 

Jay placed the phone down on the bed and placed his head in his hands. 

"Ugh!" 

The door swung open, startling Jay a little.

"Cole?! Have you ever heard of knocking?!" Jay exclaimed out of anger.

"Sorry, I just wanted to startle you. I thought it would be funny," Cole snickered.

"Yeah, well, I'm not in the mood for jokes right now," He snapped.

Cole frowned and closed the door to the bedroom. 

"What's got you so fired up?" Cole wondered, sitting beside him on the bed.

"Ugh, dad didn't go home to get any of his stuff or tell mom that he was leaving," Jay sighed.

"Why does that matter? And I thought you were calling him 'dad' anymore," Cole pointed out.

"I'm just worried about him, Cole. He's alone and lost and what if he's in danger?" He creased his eyebrows with worry.

"So what? He tried to kill you, Jay, does it matter if he's in danger? He deserves it! Just remember how much he lied to you! He's a crazy psycho, remember?" Cole encouraged him.

Jay frowned as he looked at his brother, "He's your dad too, Cole! You should be worried!"

Cole groaned, "Thanks for reminding me."

Jay thought for a second and also groaned into his hands, "Ugh! What am I saying?! I hate him! I don't care if he's in danger!"

Cole patted his brother on the shoulder, "Don't let him get to you buddy, okay?"

Jay nodded, "I'm going to see mom tomorrow and tell her everything. She's worried that he didn't come home."

"She doesn't know what happened back there, does she?" Cole sighed.

Jay shook his head, "And what makes this worse is the fact that I told her I knew where he was."

"You did what?!" Cole exclaimed.

"I know! It makes me the bad person now for lying to her!" Jay yelled in anger.

Cole sighed, "I'm sure she'll be fine. I mean, she does love you and all."

Jay smiled a little, "Yeah."

"Did you want me to come with you tomorrow?" Cole wondered.

"Nah, I'll be fine. I think it's best if I talk to her alone anyway."

It was early in the morning, around 6ish and the phone that was sat on the bedside table began to ring. The ninja that led in bed happily tossed over to see who it was. He rubbed his bright blue eyes, squinting at the change in lighting. He sat up as he read the word, 'Mom'. He knew exactly why she was calling. Although, now that he had two people under the name 'MOM' in his contacts, he had no idea which one it was. That was the fun part. 

He lightly brushed his fingers through his messy auburn hair and picked up his phone. He accepted the call before it was too late and put the phone to his ear.

"Hey Mom," Jay answered. 

Although nobody answered straight away, he could tell by the time and the date that it was Edna.

"Jay, dear! Good morning!" Edna practically shouted down the phone. That's what she would do. It made him smile. He needed to hear this. He loved it.

"Morning, mom. How are you?" Jay sat up properly, his back leaning against the wall.

"I'm great! Happy Birthday!" Edna spoke excitedly.

"Thanks, mom," Jay said between yawns.

"Oh, sorry, did I wake you?" She sounded worried.

"You ask the same thing every year and you always get the same answer," Jay laughed, "I just woke up, mom."

"Good," Edna smiled, "Doing anything special today?"

"Not that I know of. I'm going to see Libber later on though to explain to her what happened with Cliff and all that," Jay groaned jokingly.

"She doesn't know?" Edna questioned.

"Not yet. I thought she would have but I thought wrong. Anyway, why are you guys up to?" He wondered.

"Nothing. Ed is just working on something outside in the yard. I'm baking a birthday cake!" Edna exclaimed happily.

"For who?" Jay asked jokingly.

"The frog that lives in our yard!" Edna laughed.

"What's his name?" Jay wondered.

"Fred!"

"Happy birthday to him," Jay giggled.

"You wanna come over for dinner today?" Edna asked, "It'll be just like the old times. Me, you and your father." 

"I'd love to, mom," Jay smiled widely.

"Great! See you later, sweetie!" Edna exclaimed before hanging up. 

Jay put his phone back on the bedside table and laughed to himself for a moment. His smile then faded as he realised he had to get out of bed. He flopped back down on top of the covers and groaned. He was so comfy. 

The door burst open, not even startling him this time. 

"Happy birthday, Jay!!!" The familiar female voice screamed.

Jay laughed, not even needing to see who it was.

"Hi Nya."

Nya headed over to the bed and began to poke her boyfriend on the arm, "Come on, get out of bed, Zane's making pancakes."

Jay lifted his head almost instantly, "Did you just say pancakes?"

"I sure did," She nodded with a grin.

"I'm up! I'm up!" Jay exclaimed as he jumped off the bed.

As Nya headed over to his wardrobe, Jay stretched and yawned.

She grabbed a blue shirt and a pair of jeans and threw them at his face.

"Put these on and come to the living room," She ordered before leaving.

Jay smiled as he peered over at a picture he had of him, Ed and Edna from Jay's 6th birthday on his bedside table. 

"Today is going to be a good day."


	3. Thanks mom

Jay happily wandered into the living room. The team were sat on the sofas holding birthday presents, the piles of pancakes were on the coffee table. 

"Happy Birthday, Jay!" They all exclaimed happily with wide smiles.

Jay laughed a little. He hadn't had a proper birthday in years. Usually, the team would be fighting villains or saving the day as they normally did. He was glad to have a break for once. Plus, this was a huge milestone in age. 

Jay sat down beside his girlfriend as the team all exchanged looks of joy. They never got to celebrate anyone's birthday properly before.

Nya held out her present towards him. It was a medium-sized black box with a golden lock on it. He glanced up at Nya with a smile. She slowly handed him the key. He quickly unlocked the box and lifted up the lid gently. 

On the inside of the lid, it read 'You are my sunshine' in neat white letters. On two small pieces of string that stretched from one side of the lid to the other, was small photos of the cute couple. Jay smiled as he looked at them. In the box, there were small pieces of paper with black writing on it.

"It's all the reasons why I love you," Nya stated with a smile.

Jay looked at her with an expression of shock. 

"That's a lot of reasons," He giggled.

Nya nodded, "I love you lots."

"MY TURN!" Cole exclaimed. 

Cole jumped up from the sofa as Jay placed the box on the coffee table. Cole reached his arm around the sofa and pulled out a guitar. He handed it to him.

Jay gasped, "A guitar?!" 

Cole nodded. 

Jay glanced down at it. Engraved in the clean and tidy wood was 'A brother is someone who makes you smile even when they're not around'. 

"I love it! Thank you, Cole!" Jay beamed. 

Over the past year, Jay had mentioned many times about getting a guitar and Cole had remember every time he had brought it up. So why not get him one?

Lloyd placed a piece of card on top of the guitar catching Jay's attention. On the card, it said, 'No matter where you go, no matter what we do, you'll always be there for me, and I'll always be there for you.' Jay smiled as he spotted a cute little bracelet with a blue band on it. It had a silver star in the middle. 

He glanced up at the rest of the team who raised their sleeves to reveal their own bracelets that looked rather similar to Jay's.

"Friendship bracelets?" Jay questioned.

They all nodded.

"You know I love that kind of stuff!" He exclaimed happily as he put the bracelet around his wrist.

"Alright, let's eat these pancakes," Cole reached for a plate.

"Trust you to be the first person to dig into the food," Kai laughed.

"At least it's not cake," Zane pointed out.

"I wish it was," Cole joked.

Everyone went silent for a second. 

"I said it didn't I?" Cole froze.

Jay nodded. 

"Sorry," Cole replied.

"Let's eat," Kai smiled.

Libber was happily sat in the living room watching TV when there was a relatively loud knock at the front door. She smiled as she knew exactly who it was. She turned the TV off and hobbled to the door. Her ankle still hadn't properly healed but it was on its way to being good as new. She opened the door, revealing her son with a large smile.

"Hi mom!" Jay grinned.

"Hey Jay, come on in," She smiled.

Jay stepped in the house. It made him feel good being back there again. Except for the fact that he wasn't there to share good news.

"Make yourself at home," She told him as they entered the living room.

Libber sat back down in her seat and Jay sat opposite her.

"Happy birthday," She smiled.

"Thanks," Jay returned the smile.

"So... you wanted to talk to me about your father. Is he okay?" She sounded worried.

Jay cleared his throat awkwardly, "You know when I told you that I knew where he was?" 

"Yeah," She frowned.

"I... don't," He rubbed the back of his head.

"What? So where is he? What happened?" She asked quickly.

"Before I talk to you about that, I wanna tell you some stuff that happened when we went on our 'journey'," He grinned.

She took a deep breath and smiled, "Did you stop him?"

"Kinda... we kinda let him go free. Well, I did anyway," Jay began.

"Why would you let him go?! After all the pain he made you go through, why, just why?!" She exclaimed.

He looked down at his hands, "I saw good in him. And I know he saw it too."

Libber sighed, "What else?"

"Well... we found out who D.F was," Jay smirked a little.

"Really?! Who?!" She smiled.

"Nya and I figured out it was Ronin. We thought it made sense at the time but... when we were fighting Dilara, D.F had our back and bamalam it's Cole!" He laughed.

"Cole?!" Her eyes almost fell out of their eye sockets.

"Yep!" He grinned.

"I can't believe it! But how? He died!" She exclaimed.

"He evolved, like I did," He replied.

"That's so cool," She giggled happily. Jay nodded.

"The team wanted to chat last night about my place on the team," He became serious.

"Did they... you know... kick you off?" She asked, worried.

Jay shook his head, "They asked me to be leader."

Libber froze for a second. She was so shocked that she felt her heart stop for a moment.

"Leader?" She blinked.

"I don't know what to do. It's a lot of pressure and.. what if I can't lead the team into battle properly? What if I mess up and they all hate me?" He sighed.

She gently touched her son's arm, catching his attention.

"You'd make a great leader, Jay. I can't tell you what to do, of course, but I think that you'd be an absolute idiot to not take it. Anyone would die to be leader, ask Kai. And I know that if you messed up, the team would have your back. They've helped Lloyd so many times throughout the years, you told me so. But it's really up to you to make that decision, Jay, okay? Just listen to what your heart wants," She explained.

"But what if I don't know what my heart wants?" He frowned.

"How did you decide to let Ben go? Surely your head would have been telling you to beat the heebeegeebees outta him," She joked.

Jay thought for a second. She was right. No matter how much Jay wanted to 'beat the heebeegeebees' out of Ben, he listened to what his heart was telling him to do. To let him go. 

"Thanks, mom," Jay smiled.

"Now that I've helped you with your problem, help me with mine. Where's Cliff?" Her eyebrows creased with worry. 

Jay took a deep breath, "We kind of got into an argument..."

"What kind of argument?" She asked.

"The kind where I told him to leave and never come back..." He replied awkwardly.

"What?! What could you have possibly argued about that would make you hate him that much?!" She exclaimed.

"The fact that you guys have done nothing but lie to me since day 1 and I'm sick of it. Especially Cliff, who was a big fat liar when he said he liked me being around," Jay snapped.

"We stopped lying to you Jay, you know that. We told you everything," She frowned.

"But did you? Or were you just hiding the past from me again?" He raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?" She sounded confused.

"Cliff trying to kill both you and I?" He questioned.

She froze, the look of terror in her eyes. She wasn't expecting that to come out of her son's mouth.

"H-how do you know about that?" She spoke quietly.

"Ben told me. Well, in fact, he gave me the whole police case on it," He replied. 

Libber sighed, "Jay--"

"When were you going to tell me?!" He exclaimed.

"We weren't exactly planning on it..." She sighed.

"Great. Got any more secrets you want to share with me?" Jay folded his arms.

"Jay, I'm sorry, I--" She began.

Jay opened his mouth to say something but his phone buzzed before he could. He took his phone out of his pocket and read the message on the screen in his head. He put it back in his pocket and turned to his mother.

"I gotta go," He stood up.

"Where are you going?" Libber frowned, "Where is your dad?"

"Look, I don't know where he is, okay? I really thought he would have come home yesterday to pick up some stuff but he didn't. It's not my problem anymore. Now if you excuse me, I have a dinner I have to attend to with my _parents_ ," He told her before walking out.

She wanted to say something, she really did, but anything she said would only make the situation ten times worse than it already was. Sure, her son was right, but the only reason she had kept it from him was to protect him. She didn't want to hurt him like this. Besides, she knew he couldn't handle it. After everything that happened with Cole and his mental health crashing like thunder, she couldn't possibly tell him. It would break his heart, and she was definitely right. Except, now it had destroyed their relationship. All because of Ben.

Ben wasn't even here anymore and he was still messing with them.


	4. My Real Family

Ed and Edna desperately waited for their son to arrive. They had been planning this day for their entire lives. It was a very special day. A day they would never forget.

Edna finished up cooking the meal. She turned off the stove and turned to her husband.

"Food is ready," She smiled.

"Jay isn't here yet," Ed looked worried.

"I'm sure he's just running a little late, dear," She reassured him. Ed nodded with a small smile.

He had always worried about his son. He hated the fact that he became a ninja at the age of 12 because it was a dangerous job; he knew that. He hated the fact that one day, his son wouldn't come home from a mission. He hated the fact that he might not see him again. But now he had opened up to it. He was proud of Jay. He loved every ounce of him.

The door flung open, revealing a very sad looking ninja. Ed almost jumped in excitement. Edna skipped over to her son as he closed the door. She gave him a quick hug, which he returned.

"Happy Birthday, sweetheart!" She beamed.

Jay stared at the floor, a fake smile formed on his face.

"What's wrong? What's happened? Ed, our son is upset. Family hug, assemble!" She exclaimed. Ed hurried over and the two hugged Jay as tight as they could. This made Jay laugh.

Whenever Jay was feeling down when he was little, his parents would hug him as tight as possible after saying 'family hug, assemble' to show how much they loved and cared for him. He enjoyed it. 

When they pulled away, Jay seemed a little happier. 

"What's wrong, son?" Ed asked worriedly.

"Is it something to do with the team?" Edna asked, her face suddenly became stern, "Is it Ben?"

"No, mom, it's not Ben," He replied as he sat down at the dining table.

"Then what's got you so down in the dumps?" She wondered, sitting next to him.

"The reason I was a little late was because I went to see mom first. I told her everything that happened with Cliff and... I think I was a little harsh on her," He sighed.

"What do you mean?" Ed frowned.

"I blamed it all on her. I was so horrible," Jay buried his head in his hands, "I'm the worst son ever."

"Oh, honey, no you aren't!" Edna told him sympathetically.

"You wouldn't say that if you were there," He replied.

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad," Ed reassured him.

"I walked out on her. I lied to her about knowing where dad was and now she probably hates me. I was rude and disrespectful and now she probably wants nothing to do with me," Jay slapped himself in the face.

Ed grabbed his son's wrist and placed his arms gently down on the table.

"Now, now, enough of that. Don't doubt yourself, Jay. There is always time to make things right," He told him.

Jay looked his father in the eyes. He felt like curling up into a ball and crying his eyeballs out but he couldn't. Not in front of the people that loved him the most.

"Maybe you should call her later tonight," Edna suggested.

Jay nodded, "I'm really the worst son ever."

Edna got up and hugged her son. 

"You are the best son ever! You are the best thing to ever happen to me, besides your father. I couldn't possibly hate you. You are the kindest, most caring person I know. Don't let these things get to you, okay?" She told him. 

"But you don't get it, mom," Jay spoke up.

"What don't I get?" She frowned.

"I implied she wasn't my real mom... That you guys were my real parents..." Jay buried his head back in his hands.

Edna looked over at her husband sympathetically. 

Jay managed to gather himself together and removed his hands.

"I've always seen you as my real parents. You took me in even though I wasn't yours. You've done nothing but care for me ever since I was a baby. How can I possibly thank you?" Jay asked.

"You being here is all that matters to us," Edna give him another hug. Jay smiled.

"I'll call her later and apologise. That's if she even wants to talk to me," He replied.

"I'm sure she would love hearing from you," Ed told him.

Edna glanced over at Ed, who gave her a small nod.

"So before we eat, we wanted to talk to you about something," Edna began.

"What?" Jay frowned, spotting their apologetic faces.

"We really didn't want to give you this news today but we thought it would necessary when giving you the gifts we are... well... giving you," She continued.

"Is it something bad?" Jay wondered, worried.

"Yes, son, we are afraid it is," Ed sighed.

"What happened?" He frowned.

"A few weeks ago, your grandpa Louis was put in hospital," His mother started.

"What?! Is he okay?!" Jay began to panic.

"He had a heart attack," Ed told him.

"But is he okay?!" Jay exclaimed.

Edna glanced at Ed.

"We saw him this morning. He really wanted to be here but unfortunately... he can't. He was being treated but sadly, he passed away this morning," Ed sighed.

Jay froze for a second, his hands shaking.

"What?" He spoke quietly and slowly.

"I know this wasn't what you wanted to hear this morning," Edna gently stroked her son's hand in comfort.

"He can't be gone..." Jay mumbled. 

"I'm so sorry Jay," Ed sighed, "I know how close you two were."

Jay's eyes began to tear up. 

Edna stood up and left the room for a second, leaving a very sad Jay and Ed. She returned holding a book in her hands. Jay looked at it as she sat down.

"He wanted you to have this," She handed it to him.

He looked it up and down before glancing back up at his mother.

"What is it?" He snivelled. 

"Why don't you have a look?" She smiled a little.

Jay put one hand on it at a time. He gripped it and pulled it towards him, placing it gently on the table. He took a deep breath before turning the first page. There were many photos with neat calligraphy on the empty spaces. ' _First time holding baby Jay'_ . Below, there was a picture of a small baby sleeping in a man's arms. The man was well-built with dark brown hair and blue eyes. He had a wide smile on his face.

Jay smiled, "A photo album?"

"He's been making ever since he first met you," Edna told him.

"He knew that you two would be best friends. He never missed a thing that happened. He put everything in that book," Ed smiled back.

Jay flicked through the book, wiping away tears as he went. 

Edna gently placed something on the table in front of the album, catching Jay's attention. He glanced at it, realising it was a small pocket watch.

"It was also your grandpa's. Well, kind of," Edna smiled, "It's been passed down through generations. The first person to have it was exactly 100 years ago. Every father passes it down to their son. It's a family tradition."

"One, I'm technically not family. And two, surely it would have been passed down to dad, right?" Jay questioned.

"Don't say that! Just because you aren't related by blood, doesn't mean you aren't family," Ed responded.

"You were always like a son to Louis anyway," Edna assured him.

"Besides, that wasn't the true tradition," Ed scowled at his wife for a second, "The tradition is that it's passed down to the protector of the family."

"Protector?" Jay frowned.

"The protector is someone who always cares for everyone and will do whatever it takes to help their family members. The reason Louis wanted you to have it is because _you_ are the protector," Ed explained, "And now that you're 18, you are responsible enough too."

"I'm the protector?" Jay raised an eyebrow.

They both nodded. He smiled. 

Jay always cared for others. He put them first no matter the situation. That's why Louis had chosen him. It was a special role to have in the family. The protector was someone who wouldn't turn their back on the family. Jay may not have been related by blood, but he sure did act like it. He _was_ family. 

Later that evening, after eating Edna's fabulous homemade curry, Jay headed home. He was tired and completely full. All he wanted to do was go straight to sleep but he couldn't. He had one last thing to do. 

As he entered the Bounty, he realised that everyone was curled up on the sofas in the living room watching a scary movie. Nya was snuggled up between Kai and Cole. Lloyd was hiding behind a pillow beside Zane. Jay smiled at them as he entered.

"Hey, have a good day?" Cole waved at his brother.

Jay nodded, "I'll join you guys in a bit. Just got to make a quick phone call."

Cole nodded as he watched Jay wander into his room. Jay placed the photo album and pocket watch neatly on his desk on the opposite side of the room. He headed over to his bed and flopped down on it. For a moment, he just led there. This had been one of the best and worst birthdays he had ever had. He recieved amazing gifts, terrible news, and had been the 'worst' son ever all in one day. He would definitely sleep well tonight. 

He turned his head so that he could see the album on his desk.

"I'm sorry for letting you down, grandpa. I will be better, I promise," Jay spoke softly.

Although no one knew what he was talking about, Jay sure did. A lot had happened in the past year. He had lost too many people and it got the better of him. He was mainly referring to his self harming that he promised himself he would keep a secret. He knew his grandpa hated that kind of stuff and did everything he possibly could to protect everyone in the family from doing that. That's why Jay needed to put a stop to all of his hurtful thoughts. Now that he was gone, he needed to change. He needed to be the Jay he had once been. The _grandson_ he had once ben.

He sat up in his bed and grabbed his phone from his back jean pocket. He dialled the number he had specifically memorised a few days ago and put the phone on loud speaker. He began to get a little worried after the first few rings.

"Hello?" 

"Hey mom," Jay silently breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you okay? You were really upset earlier. I'm so so so sorry. I really didn't mean to--" She began.

"No, stop," Jay told her sternly.

Libber went silent.

"I'm the one who needs to apologise to you," Jay sighed, "I was horrible, rude and disrespectful towards you and I've literally been beating myself up over it," 

"Oh, Jay--" She spoke softly.

"Really, I am truly sorry, mom," Jay spoke quickly, his hands shaking a little.

She giggled slightly, "You really are 18. You're acting like an adult already."

Jay smiled, "I don't wanna be an adult. I can't imagine me growing up. I'll always be a child at heart."

"I said the exact same thing. Look at me now. Chilling on the sofa with a broken foot," She laughed.

"It's not broken. And it's also not your foot," Jay reminded her, giggling.

"You have a better memory than me too," She added.

Jay managed to control his laughter and sighed, "Do you forgive me?"

"Of course I do," She replied almost instantly.

"I love you, mom," Jay told her.

"I love you too, my little bluebird," She smiled.

Jay quickly finished up his phone conversation and sat there for a moment. He had one thing in particular to think about and today's events had given him the exact answer he needed. He smiled as he glanced over at the photo album and pocket watch.

"Thanks, grandpa," He spoke quietly.

Jay hopped off his bed and wandered into the living room. Cole made space for him next to Nya as soon as he spotted him. Jay sat between his brother and his girlfriend watching the movie on screen. It was, of course, Star Farer. Sure, he hated his dad but he missed his childhood favourite movie. It was a huge part of him. Now that he was an adult, he needed to remember these sorts of things. 

Jay sat there waiting for the movie to end but he just couldn't wait. Like the impatient person he was, he grabbed the tv remote that was on the coffee table and paused the movie. The team glanced over at Jay, confused looks on their faces. Jay took a deep breath, looking at the floor.

"So... I need to tell you guys something," Jay spoke slowly.

"What is it?" Kai frowned.

"What's wrong?" Nya's eyebrows were creased with worry.

"I have done some thinking about what you guys offered me yesterday. And... I'll take it. I'll be leader," He smiled.

"Really?" Lloyd grinned.

Jay nodded with a smile.

"That's amazing!" Zane laughed with joy.

Nya gave him a quick hug, "I'm so proud of you!"

Cole patted his brother on the shoulder.

"I was scared of the responsibility and pressure that would come with it but I think that, because of events that have happened today, I'm ready," Jay explained.

"So... I guess we have a new leader then," Kai spoke.

"Wow," Zane breathed.

"That's crazy," Cole agreed.

Jay opened his mouth to say something but the door opened behind them. The lights flickered on as the team spun their heads to see who they were NOT expecting to see.

"We're back!"


	5. Master

The team froze for a second. Kai and Zane quickly jumped off the sofa and headed towards the two people stood in the doorway.

"Sensei!" The boys shouted in unison.

"Mom!" Lloyd exclaimed, jumping off the sofa and hugging his mother.

Cole quickly turned to Jay with a look of fright. 

"What?" Jay frowned.

"They don't know I'm alive!" Cole whisper-shouted.

"Right..." Nya sighed.

"I forgot about that," Jay face palmed.

"Well, now that you're team leader, you are the one who has to tell them," Cole crossed his arms.

"Dang it," Jay slumped down on the sofa.

"Hey you three, how are yo--" Wu began, realising what he had just said. 

Both Cole and Jay froze.

"Three? There aren't six people in the team anymore..." Wu wandered over to the group on the sofa, "Did you replace--"

The earth ninja glanced up at the old master and smiled innocently. Jay tried to hide his face whilst Nya acted like nothing was happening.

"Cole?!" Wu exclaimed.

"Hey master..." Cole replied awkwardly.

"What--how--" He stuttered.

Jay smiled, "He isn't dead, Sensei."

Wu's eyes widened, "Well I can see that!"

"I evolved, Master," Cole began.

"Evolved?! What are you talking about?!" He shouted. 

"What does that even mean?" Misako approached them.

A while ago, when Jay had only just been put in Kryptarium, Wu had left for a mission. A secret mission. No one knew what he was doing except that he was going to see someone in a far away village. He just so happened to bring back Misako with him. Lloyd had been worried about his mother and uncle as he hadn't heard from them in ages so to see them took a weight off of his shoulders. 

One of the trickiest things, however, was explaining to Wu how Cole was even here, what evolving meant, and the new changes to the team. This included their new leader. Wu wouldn't take this news easily as he had made Lloyd leader years ago but the team had decided together and Wu wasn't there to protest at the time. 

"You might want to sit down for this," Kai gently touched his master's shoulder.

Wu and Misako sat down on the sofa opposite Cole, Jay and Nya. The other 3 stood behind them.

"A lot has happened since you left," Lloyd began.

"Like how both Jay and Cole are here now," Nya continued.

"What exactly happened?!" Wu exclaimed, worried that he wasn't here for them when he should have been.

Wu was their master. He raised them from just normal teenagers to who they are today. He kept them safe and made sure they made the right choices. But when he had left, things changed. He was anxious to find out what happened whilst he was gone. He was scared that someone would have gotten hurt. 

"Well, after months and months of Jay being in prison, we managed to convince him to tell the truth," Lloyd explained, "Ben got put back in prison."

"Then this guy dressed in all blacks called D.F showed up and told us he knew what Ben had done. Jay got out of prison and we found out that Ben had tricked us into thinking he was good so that he could release Nadakhan from the teapot. He got put back in prison but someone," Lloyd glared at Kai, "let him out."

Kai rolled his eyes, "He was really persuasive."

"Thats not the point. You still should have at least spoken to us about it before helping him escape," Jay folded his arms.

"You don't have the right to tell me that. Who put you in charge?" Kai retorted.

The team shot confused looks towards the fire ninja. He realised what their conversation was about just before Wu and Misako arrived. He fell silent and broke eye contact with everyone. This made the old pair very confused. 

"Anyway, we stopped Nadakhan, well more like Jay did," Lloyd continued, "He evolved--"

"What is evolving?!" Wu exclaimed.

"Like Pokemon do. They get new powers and stuff," Cole replied.

"Oh..." Wu frowned, "That's never happened before."

"I must be special then," Jay beamed.

"There's nothing special about you," Kai crossed his arms.

Nya turned her head to look at her brother, "I think he's special."

"Well of course _you_ do," Kai rolled his eyes jokingly.

"Then we got a whole team together and went to fight Ben and his tiny sidekick at the Wailing Alps. We found out D.F was Cole, who also evolved and then that brings us here," Lloyd finished.

"Woah, woah, woah," Jay waved his arms around to catch everyone's attention, "You forgot the most important part."

"I was gonna get to that--" Lloyd began.

"We don't talk to Cliff anymore," Jay folded his arms.

"I wasn't gonna tell them that..." Lloyd mumbled.

"What did Cliff do?" Wu frowned.

"Only lied and lied and lied to me," Jay rolled his eyes.

"About what?" Misako wondered.

"The fact that he tried to kill me when I was a day old," Jay snapped.

"Y-you know about that?" Wu questioned, his voice shaking a little.

"Oh my--" Jay exclaimed, "Who else knew?!" 

"Well if it helps... I didn't," Misako smiled a little.

Jay smiled too.

"Anyway, I heard that someone turned 18 today," Wu teased.

"Really?" Kai frowned.

"Who?" Cole questioned.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Zane glanced around the room.

Wu laughed, "I see you're all getting along."

"So what were you guys doing before we got here?" Misako wondered, sitting forward.

The team exchanged looks. This was important news that they needed to share but they would not take it lightly.

"Um..." Lloyd stood up straight, "I've decided to resign as leader."

"What?!" Wu exclaimed.

"Why?!" Misako questioned, a worried expression on her face.

"Because I think that it's time for a change. Besides, I thought of someone better to lead the team," He grinned.

"Who?" Wu frowned.

The team exchanged looks.

"Well... meet the team's new leader..." He smirked and grabbed Jay's shoulder, "Jay."

"Jay?!" The old pair yelled.

The team smiled. Cole lifted his hand and ruffled Jay's auburn hair.

"He's a good lad, he'd be great at leading the team," Cole grinned.

Wu couldn't believe his ears, "I picked Lloyd for a reason. He's the green ninja."

"So? Just because I'm the _green ninja_ doesn't make things any different. Yes, there's a prophecy, so what? It's not about what the stupid prophecy says, uncle, its about who is right to be leader. And if you were here, you would have seen why I chose him," Lloyd explained.

"No, this is unacceptable. We are ninja. We follow the rules. You are equals, yes, but _you_ are the most important, Lloyd. You are the leader and that's final," Wu told them sternly.

Lloyd frowned, "I'm not more important than the others. We're all the same. And I'm the leader. If I wanted things to change, that's my decision, right? Well, it's Jay's decision now."

"And I'm your master. You have to listen to me," Wu retorted.

"You didn't even bother telling us that you were going on a mission before leaving. We didn't know when you were coming back. We didn't even know _if_ you were going to come back. Since you weren't here, I took matters into my own hands. Maybe if you were here, you would have had a say in it," Lloyd glared at his uncle. 

"I hate to say it, Wu, but my son has a point," Misako looked at the old man beside her, "They aren't children anymore. They can make their own decisions. And, to be honest, I think that Jay would make a great leader."

Wu sighed, "I trust you guys to make the right decisions. But if things go wrong, don't come crying to me."

Lloyd glanced down at Jay with a smile.

"You are officially the new leader," He told him.

Jay nodded and took a deep breath, "That's a lot of weight on my shoulders."

"I know you can do it," Cole smiled at him.

Wu got up and wandered off to the kitchen. Jay watched him walk away with a stern look on his face. Jay thought for a second. He had to prove himself to his sensei. Things wouldn't be the same from here forward.

The lightning ninja stood up and followed Wu to the other room, hoping to have a talk about what happened.

"Why don't you believe in me?" Jay asked.

Wu turned to him with a sigh.

"I do believe in you, Jay, I'm just disappointed that Lloyd made this decision without speaking to me first," He explained.

"Well, I'm not 100% keen on the idea so if you want Lloyd to be leader again..." Jay trailed off.

"No, Jay, you made a decision as a team and I trust you guys. Maybe you could prove me wrong too. Just don't get the wrong idea, Jay. I don't doubt that you would make a great leader. You are so caring and strong, I know that you can do it," Wu gave him a smile of reassurance.

"Speaking of that... we didn't exactly stop Ben," Jay told him awkwardly.

"What do you mean? Wasn't that why you went to the Wailing Alps?" Wu frowned, taking his signature teapot out of his bag he had placed on the kitchen counter earlier.

"Well we kind of stopped him... but I decided to let him go. I saw good in him, Sensei, you have to trust me here. I really don't think that he'll be bothering us anymore, I--" Jay panicked slightly, knowing how Wu would react.

"Jay, it's okay," Wu placed a hand on his student's shoulder to calm him down.

"W-what?" Jay froze up.

"That's what a leader would do. You would choose to see the good in someone instead of the bad," the old man smiled, "You also remembered my lesson."

"The best way to defeat your enemy is to make them your friend," Jay smiled.

Wu nodded, "How is your mental health lately anyway?"

"Good. Well, its getting better. Now that I have the team, and Nya, and Cole, I think I'm gonna be happier again. And also Nadakhan, and hopefully Ben too, are out of the picture. I can finally breathe again. Sure, things will never be the same, but I just want to try and get things back to normal, y'know?" He explained.

"I'm glad you're getting better, Jay," Wu beamed as he finished unpacking his many _many_ packets of tea.

"I was planning on going to see Jessie tomorrow since last time I saw her I was kinda hard on her. I wanted to see how she was getting on," He stated.

"That's a good idea," Wu replied. Jay nodded.

It had been a while since he last saw Jessie. The last time the team had heard from her was when she called Nya about his self harming. She was just looking out for him, that's all. Jay wasn't exactly nice to her about it.

The rest of the team were busy chatting and laughing in the living room. Things were going well until all of a sudden Cole's phone began to ring. He picked it up off the coffee table and glanced at the screen. It read 'C'.

"Oooo, who's C?" Kai teased.

Cole rolled his eyes and wandered off to the other side of the room. Jay returned to the room to see what was going on. Cole answered the phone and put it to his ear.

"Hey Cas, what's up?" Cole spoke.

This was a new name for the team. They had never heard of this 'Cas' person and the fact that they were calling Cole made it a little strange.

"Yes, yes, don't worry," Cole continued, "I know. I'll speak to you about it tomorrow. Yes, the usual spot. I'll see you there. Don't worry about it. I'll make sure of it. Okay, see you. Bye."

Cole put his phone in his pocket and turned to face the team who looked at him suspiciously.

"What?" Cole frowned.

"Who's Cas?" Kai folded his arms with a smirk.

"His name is Caspian. You don't know him," Cole replied coldly.

"A guy huh?" Kai teased.

"Is it a friend?" Zane wondered.

"Sure," Cole rolled his eyes.

The team never really kept secrets from each other. They, of course, wanted to know all about Caspian.

Jay gasped, "Is it your boyfriend?!"

Cole thought for a second before smiling and nodding.

"You have a boyfriend and didn't tell us?!" Nya exclaimed.

"Forget the team, you didn't even think about telling me?!" Jay joked.

"Look, its new, okay? I didn't think it was important," Cole told them.

"Of course it's important," Zane smiled.

"Relationships are very important," Lloyd winked.

"Thanks guys," Cole smiled, "I think I'm just gonna head off to bed if that's okay."

"Night Cole," Nya called out to him.

Jay wandered up to his brother and gave him a hug, "Let me know if you need anything, okay?" 

Cole nodded and headed off to his bedroom. Jay sighed as Nya approached him from behind.

"You good?" She asked. 

Jay nodded, "Yeah. I'm just concerned about him."

"Why?" She frowned.

"What if things won't be the same? I mean, he kinda died, Nya. Sure, he's alive now, but he died in my arms! He physically died! I'm just worried that something might go wrong, y'know?" He sighed.

"I get how you feel. Just try not to think about it too much, okay?" She gently kissed him on the cheek and wondered over to her brother. 


	6. Councillor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be 'mentions' of suicide in this chapter. I have tried to keep it toned down for you. It's not gory or anything but I just wanted to warn you since I know it's a very sensitive topic. If you don't like suicide and stuff, I will put a "WARNING" for when it does come up and you can skip that part if you wish.

Jessie was sat at her usual desk, in her usual office, in her usual building. She wasn't even the slightest bit fazed by what was happening in Ninjago now. She was happy where she was and with what she was doing.

She had helped many many young people with counseling and provided very useful information to those who needed it. One of her largest challenges, however, was Jay. She wanted him to warm up to her so that he was talk about his troubles but he didn't seem to. She hadn't heard from him in a while though. Keeping an eye on the daily news, she saw his progress and felt bad for telling his teammates about his self harming. They hadn't been on good terms since then.

She wasn't expecting to hear from Jay again, especially not any time soon. By what she could see though, he looked like he was doing well. Hopefully the team were giving him the support that he needed.

And of course, if he wanted, he could always come back and speak with her again. She would never keep a grudge or anything against people, especially those in need. Jay may have been better than before but he was still traumatised. Besides, Cole was back now. Why would he need Jessie? His brother could give him everything he ever needed.

Jessie sighed as she typed away on her keyboard. Another one of her clients had cancelled their future appointments. This was the third person who had cancelled this week. She was running low on money and needed more clients to help but no one seemed interested in her help. No matter how hard she tried to support people and do what was right for them and their health, she had to pay the price. She was losing everything. All she needed now was a miracle to happen...

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, startling her. She jumped up from her seat, hoping it would be a new client. That or a nice cup of tea her assistant made her. She really needed some caffeine right about now. She was almost half asleep.

"Come in," She spoke excitedly.

The door opened slightly, a small head peering round. They had messy auburn hair and bright blue eyes. A wide smile was plastered across their face. She knew exactly who it was.

"Jay! Come on in, take a seat," She smiled. 

Jay entered the room and closed the door behind him. He sat in the seat opposite Jessie as she, too, sat back down. She closed her laptop and sat up straight, a serious look on her face.

"How are you doing?" She asked, hopeful that he was better than before.

"I'm doing great," He smiled brightly.

She breathed a sigh of relief, "That's great."

"I just wanted to apologise for the way that I acted before. I was selfish and I definitely shouldn't have stopped coming. That was kind of rude of me," He gently rubbed the side of his neck awkwardly.

Jessie nodded with a smile, "It's okay. You don't have to apologise. I'm used to clients acting that way anyway. I guess you've really got to be strong for a job like this. I'm just glad that you're doing well."

"I also wanted to thank you for telling the others about my... y'know," He spoke quietly, "If you hadn't said anything... I... yeah, I'm not even gonna say it."

"It's just my job," She smiled, "I'm here to help those who need it."

Jay sighed, "Sorry if I'm keeping you. You're probably really busy right now. I can go if you want."

"Of course not! I've just been looking through my emails. I don't really have anything else to do lately anyway," She smiled.

He frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Most of my clients are cancelling their future sessions, that's all," She responded, shrugging her shoulders.

"Why?" 

"That's not really any of my business," She sighed, "I don't think they're happy with the way I do things."

"Don't say that. You're a great councillor," Jay smiled.

"You think so?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Of course! I mean, look at me! I literally put myself through misery and put myself in jail for no reason at all! I'm perfectly fine now! Well, I'm not 'perfectly' fine but I'm better than I was!" Jay explained.

"Surely that wasn't because of me. You stopped seeing me after a while, remember?" Jessie questioned.

"Just take the compliment," Jay whispered with a smile.

No matter how much she hated to hear it, Jay was right. There may be people who weren't happy with how things were, but that didn't mean her help never made a difference. She was a caring person and she wanted to make sure everyone was relatively happy with themselves and their lives. It may not work for some people but for others, it will. After all, the best part of her job was seeing the change in people's lives. The good change.

"Thanks, Jay," She smiled.

** WARNING **

It was now around 7:30pm and the majority of Ninjago was quiet. It wasn't usually that busy in the evening so anyone who lived in the city were thankful for that. They could finally get some peace and quiet. There also wasn't much crime taking place either.

Deep in the city, was Cliff Gordon's mansion. Sure, he wasn't home, but he still technically owned it. But now, Libber had to pay the rent since it was obvious that he wasn't going to. He walked off somewhere she didn't know. It made her worried. Her husband was out there alone and cold. Who knows if he was even still alive? At least she knew her son was okay. That's the only thing she ever wanted. And to know that he was now team leader was even better.

She sat in the living room, the lights dimmed and was curled up on the sofa under her duvet. Her leg was getting better and she couldn't wait to start walking around properly again. She missed being able to take her morning jogs around the park just down the road.

She was binge-watching one of her favourite shows, which was all she could really do at the moment, and quietly snacked on some toffee popcorn too. She was happy for now. 

Deep into one of the episodes, her phone began to vibrate on the cushion beside her. She looked at it and read what was on the screen. 

_Cliff_

She quickly paused her movie and picked up the phone. She was dying to speak to him.

"Cliff?!" She exclaimed down the phone a little too loud.

"Thank god you picked up," He spoke down the phone.

"Is everything okay?! Where are you?! Are you hurt?! Are you safe?! Are you in the city?! TELL ME SOMETHING." She shouted.

"Calm down, Libber, I'm fine," He spoke.

She breathed a sigh of relief, "But where are you?!"

"Don't worry about where I am. I just want to tell you that I'm sorry for everything," He began.

Libber frowned, "What?" 

"I've been a horrible person. First, hurting you, and then Jay..." He sighed, "I'm so so very sorry. I've hurt too many people in my life and I can't do it anymore..."

"What? Cliff, slow down. What are you talking about? I forgave you for that. I'm sure Jay didn't actually want you to leave. Just come home and we can sort this out," She explained.

"And risk me hurting you again? I don't want to. I can't. I have to respect Jay and he told me to stay away. He doesn't want to see me again and..." Cliff paused, "I'm sorry. I can't do this."

"What are you talking about?! Just come home! I'm so worried!" Libber exclaimed.

"No, I must go. I can't cause you more pain. It's better if I was gone," He spoke.

Libber frowned, "Cliff, listen to me, come home, okay? Jay would love to see you again! I miss you, okay?! I need you to be here with me."

"I can't. I'm sorry for everything Libber. It's best if I wasn't here anymore. You've always deserved someone so much better than me."

He sounded as if he was crying. It completely broke Libber's heart to hear what he was saying. It took her a few moments before she realised what he meant by 'It's best if I wasn't here anymore'. Everything he was saying made sense now...

"Cliff! Listen to me! Don't do anything stupid, do you promise me?!" She began to panic, her heart racing.

"I'm sorry, I have to go," He responded, ignoring her.

"Cliff, don't you dare hang up! Listen! I love you with all of my gosh darn heart. If you do this, you'll break both mine, Jay, and Cole's hearts. They're your sons! You can't do this to them! I don't care about the past anymore and the boys will learn that too, they just need time. Just come home and we can fix all of this. We can get you help! I can help you! Just please come home," She panicked, trying her best to stay calm.

**(Damn sorry I'm literally crying my eyes out writing this. Why...w** **hy did I decide to write this?! 😭😭😭)**

Cliff stayed silent. All she could hear was faint cries coming from the phone. 

"Please," She murmured, tears falling down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Libber," He spoke quietly.

"I know! I know you are! Just come home! Come home for goodness sake! Don't do this, Cliff! I love you!" She cried.

_Silence_

_Silence_

_Silence_

_Beep...beep...beep..._

She looked down at her phone. It was now back to her lock screen, a picture of her and her husband. 

_7:34 pm... 67% battery...._

Her heart broke into tiny glass shards as she screamed and threw the phone across the room and watching it hit the floor with a loud thud. She didn't care if it was broken. The only thing that was broken was her love for him. He had thrown it out of the window like that and now she had nothing...

She flopped onto the sofa, burying her head in her pillow as she cried and cried. It must have been hours until she finally stopped.

What was she going to do now??

Around 10pm, she finally decided to get up and pick up her phone. She tried calling him again and again but there was no answer. She searched her entire phone for any ideas of where he could be until she came across the location app. 

The app told her where the call had taken place and where it was now. It was in the exact same place it was a few hours ago, when he had hung up on her. 

_Ignacia_

Luckily for her, she knew exactly where that was. She may not be able to walk properly right now but she wasn't going to give up on her husband that easily. If there was still hope, she was going to try. She would bring him home safely.

Jay shortly arrived home, spotting both Kai and Nya in the living room watching TV. They were watching some sort of reality TV thing, something Jay would possibly be interested in. 

He snook up behind Nya and crouched down behind the sofa. He gently rested his head on her shoulder, startling her a little.

"Gosh, Jay, you scared the life out of me!" She laughed.

"Sorry," He giggled sweetly.

"How did it go?" She asked, sitting so that she could see him. Kai listened in on their conversation.

"It went well. She was actually really nice. She's not having such a good time at the moment so I'm gonna be seeing her once a week to help her out," He smiled.

"Aw, that's sweet of you," She beamed, proud of her boyfriend.

"Cole's gone to sleep early," Kai mentioned.

"Oh okay. Is he alright?" Jay frowned.

Kai shrugged his shoulders, "He came back today and complained that he was very tired. He then went to bed. We don't know what happened."

"Maybe something happened between him and his boyfriend?" Nya suggested.

"You really think he has a boyfriend?! Come on, he's obviously faking it," Kai argued.

"What do you mean?" Jay frowned.

"We've never even met this Casper guy. He's never brought him up before," Kai folded his arms.

Jay glared at the fire ninja for a moment, "One, his name is Caspian. And two, we all have our own private lives. Maybe there is a reason why he wanted to keep his boyfriend a secret."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Kai frowned.

Jay thought for a moment before shrugging, "I don't know. Just respect other people for once, Kai. You're probably just jealous of him because you're too chicken to ask out Skylor."

"I am NOT chicken!" Kai exclaimed, glaring.

"Then why haven't you asked her out then?" Nya raised an eyebrow.

"Because..." He thought for a moment, "I'm waiting for the right moment."

Jay rolled his eyes as he wandered off to his bedroom.

"I'm still saying Casper is fake!" Kai called out to him.

"His name is Caspian!" Jay shouted back.

He opened his bedroom door and entered his room. His curtains were open so he had a clear view of the city. It was pretty much pitch black outside so all he could really see where the streetlights but at least it was nice to look at. It was calming.

If only he knew what was actually happening down there...


	7. My fault

It was silent. No crime. No news. It was actually rather boring. Sure, there was things going on around Ninjago but the city was at a complete stand still. Nothing was happening. Everyone was getting on with their lives like everything was perfectly fine. Except it wasn't.

Jay slept peacefully in his warm bed, under the warm blue covers. It was coming up to 3 am and he was happily dreaming of cotton candy, his favourite treat. 

He was enjoying life at the moment. Nothing was going wrong. He was the new leader of the team, there was no sign of Ben anywhere, he had a fantastic girlfriend and he was extremely close with his family, especially his brother. He was happy for the first time in months.

There was a loud bang at his door, followed by the sound of someone shouting the blue ninja's name. He quietly groaned and turned his head a little to look at the alarm clock on his bedside table. Rolling his eyes at the time of morning, he slowly sat up in his bed, removing himself from the comfy spot he had taken ages to get into last night. 

"Who is it?" He croaked. 

As he coughed to clear his throat, the door burst open. Jay was a little startled from the gust that the door had blown his way. 

Cole stood there, a worried look on his face. He was completely dressed and his hair was combed neatly. Jay frowned at him.

"Cole, it's 3 am, why are you awake?!" Jay exclaimed, rubbing his eyes.

"We need to go to the police station," He responded quickly.

"What?! Now!? Can't it wait till morning? I need my beauty sleep..." He joked slightly.

"They have your mom," He stated.

Jay sat up properly, frowning, "Mom?"

"Something happened," Cole told him.

"Like what?!" Jay exclaimed.

"I don't know. That's why we need to get down there right now. Now get your a** out of bed and get dressed," Cole told him before slamming the door.

Around 20 minutes later, the team arrived at the police station, desperate to know what was happening. Jay was ahead of everyone. Having no clue what happened to his mother was killing him. He needed to know if she was okay.

They turned a corner to reach the reception and there, in a chair by the door of the investigation room, was Libber. She was a mess. There were dry red marks all over her clothes and her face was stained with tears. Her hair that had been in a neat pony tail just hours before was now messy. Jay rushed up to her, kneeling down in front of her. 

As soon as she saw him, her eyes filled with tears. She wrapped her arms around her son and buried her head between his shoulder and his neck. He hugged her back as tight as he could.

"Mom, are you okay? What happened?" He asked, almost panicking but relieved that she looked fine. The team crowded round them.

"Jay, I'm just so glad that you're here. I don't know what I'd do without you," Libber cried, "Please don't leave me..."

Jay frowned, pulling away from the hug. He held her hands in his.

"What are you talking about? Of course I won't leave you," He replied.

More tears fell down her cheeks as she broke eye contact with her son.

"What happened?" He repeated, concerned.

"It's your dad.... he called me last night," She replied.

His eyes widened, his hands shaking a little, "He called you? Why? Is he okay? What did he say?" 

"Is he hurt?" Cole asked out of the blue, trying to hide the fact that he was a little concerned about his father too.

Libber tried to control her tears, "He said some pretty scary things so I went to go find him. I ran all the way to where he had called me and--"

Jay cut her off, "You can't run! Your leg!"

"I know, I know... I've damaged it pretty badly now... I have to get a cast on it," She sighed.

"Mom!" Jay exclaimed out of worry.

"It was important, Jay, I promise..." She told him, still not being able to make eye contact, "He was heading towards Nom. Jay, I found him on the side of the road..."

"What?!" He exclaimed, "What do you mean? What are you talking about?"

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Kai questioned.

"Is Cliff.... dead?" Lloyd wondered, trying to stay calm.

Libber nodded slowly, removing her hand from Jay's. 

Jay stood up and took a step back, "What?" His voice was shaky, his hands shaking even more. Nya gently touched his arm for support. Jay was so scared that he didn't even feel it.

Cole stood there in complete shock, not sure what to do.

"He committed suicide," She muttered as she cried.

The team exchanged looks of shock, worry and confusion. Jay took another step back, tears filling his eyes. He was speechless. He raised his hands to his head and gripped his hair, his breathing becoming fast and heavy. 

"He called me saying he couldn't go on anymore. I went to go save him before he did anything but I was too late. I tried, Jay, you have to believe me," She cried. Kai stood beside Libber, putting his hand on her shoulder, trying to support her. 

Jay continued to step back and then turned around, running outside. Cole went to go chase after him but Nya stopped him.

"I'll go. You stay here and look after Libber," Nya told him.

Cole looked at her in disbelief, "I'm his brother."

"And I'm his girlfriend. It's my turn to support him," She told him before walking off. 

Cole sighed and turned to his step-mother, hoping to calm her down. He also tried to stay calm. He may not have known Cliff as well as Jay but he was still his father. He had the right to be sad.

Nya looked around outside everywhere for her boyfriend but there was no sign of him. She was beginning to get worried. She needed to find him before he did anything stupid. She knew that he would blame himself for all this and that's why she needed to see him and not Cole. She knew him better than Cole did. 

After about 5 minutes, she found him down an alley by the side of the police station. He was punching the wall angrily, screaming away the pain. His tears covered his face like freckles. She rushed up to him, pulling him away from the wall. He slid to the ground, crying. He buried his head in his hands, which were now bleeding. Nya gently hugged him as she sat beside him. He cried and cried, which broke Nya's heart even more. 

"This is all my fault," He cried into her chest, "I should never have told him to leave. I should have just forgiven him when I had the chance."

"Don't blame yourself for this. You said what you said because you were angry, upset, stressed..." She told him calmly, "None of this is your fault."

Nya broke the hug and put her hands gently on Jay's wet cheeks. He could barely keep eye contact with her. 

"Look at me," She said.

Jay looked at her, the look of hurt and disbelief continued to break her heart.

"You would never purposely hurt anyone. I know you better than you know yourself, okay? You aren't a bad person. Do not blame yourself , promise?" She told him.

Jay sighed, "But I've hurt people in the past. Like Ben and Cole and--" 

"Jay, what are you trying to tell me?!" She exclaimed.

"Nothing! It's just... ugh, I can't even trust myself anymore..." He responded, more tears streaming down his cheeks. Nya slowly wiped them away with her thumb on her left hand. She held his hand tight with the other. 

"Well, I trust you. And so does the team. You're our leader," She smiled reassuringly.

"I don't even deserve to be leader," He murmured sadly.

"Yes you do. If you didn't deserve it, would we really replace Lloyd?" She questioned.

He shrugged his shoulders and broke eye contact with her for a moment. The negative thoughts were swirling around in his mind like a whirlpool. It was distracting. 

"Nya?" He spoke quietly.

"Hm?" 

"Do you even still like me?" He asked guiltily.

"What?! Why would you even ask that? Of course I do!" She exclaimed.

"It's just that... I'm not the person I was before. I'm not the person you started dating. I'm different now... I can't even be positive..." He sighed, another tear falling.

She placed her hand gently on his cheek and kissed him softly on the lips. The butterflies flew around in his stomach, making him feel a little better.

As she pulled away, a smile formed on her face, "I don't care. I love you no matter what, okay? I'm not leaving you."

Jay smiled slightly and wrapped his arms around her. A hug was all he needed right now. She smiled back and hugged him as tight as she could. 

There could have been so many chances that Jay could've been taken from her. On Tiger Widow Island, Misfortune's Keep, Nadakhan's lair, Chen's Island, Kryptarium, The Wailing Alps, etc. She was lucky to have him. He never stopped fighting and it made her proud. It was like the universe was trying to pull them apart but the fate was pushing them back together.

"Sorry to interrupt," A male voice spoke from the foot of the alley. 

Both Jay and Nya peered over to see who it was. There, in full uniform, stood a police officer with a small smile to greet them.

"We would like you both to come back inside. There is some news you would like to hear," He told him.

They exchanged looks of confusion before getting up. Maybe it was good news about Cliff? Maybe he wasn't dead after all? 


	8. Blame

The couple followed the officer inside and joined the rest of the team. It made Jay nervous as he had no clue what it could be about. If it was more bad news, it would surely break him. He just needed to hear something positive right now. Something that can take his mind off of things.

Jay stood beside his mother and gave her a reassuring smile. She mouthed a 'sorry' to him. She felt so guilty about what happened. She was blaming herself for something she had no part of. She did the right thing and tried to save him before it was too late. Now she just hoped that it was enough.

The door to the main office opened, which caught the team's attention. The Police Commissioner stepped out, greeting them with a small smile.

"So," He began, "After reviewing the body and the crime scene, we found out some information that you would most likely like to hear about."

"Yeah, no kidding," Kai rolled his eyes.

"Kai," Lloyd glared at him for a moment. Kai shrugged it off.

Libber tried as hard as she possible could to make eye contact with the Police Commissioner. She was trying hard to stay positive. And it was harder than she thought.

"We visited the place where it happened and in a bush nearby was a knife," He told them.

"A knife?" Jay murmured to himself, frowning.

"So he stabbed himself then," Kai spoke aloud.

Cole quickly slapped Kai on the arm causing him to flinch.

"What?!" Kai exclaimed.

Cole shot Kai a look of disgust. Kai took the message quickly and shut up.

"Not exactly..." The PC replied.

The team exchanged looks of confusion.

"What do you mean, not exactly?" Zane questioned.

"Well... the knife was indeed covered in Cliff's blood but the scene looked very suspicious. Fortunately, there was a CCTV camera staring right at the place where it had all happened. We took a look at it," He continued.

"What exactly did it show?" Jay wondered, hoping to hear some good news for once.

"He was on the phone for a few minutes," The PC began.

"Which was the phone call you had," Cole looked down at Libber, who nodded.

"After the phone call, he indeed tried to stab himself."

"Tried?" Nya questioned.

The PC nodded, "A person in dark clothing came up behind him. They quickly snatched the knife from him and held it to his neck. Cliff seemed pretty terrified as the person was speaking to them. After about 5 minutes, the person stabbed him, threw the knife into the bush and ran off into the distance."

The team exchanged looks of worry, confusion and shock. Libber covered her mouth, trying to hold back her tears whilst Jay was left completely speechless.

"You mean he was...?" Kai began, refusing to finish the sentence.

"He was murdered," Jay muttered, his hands shaking slightly.

"But that doesn't make sense," Cole frowned.

"We can show you the tape if you want," The PC suggested.

"No!" Nya exclaimed quickly, "No thanks..."

"Who..." Jay spoke quietly. His voice was deep, deeper than usual. There was no longer that high-pitched aspect to it. He was serious. 

"Who did this to him?" The lightning ninja glared sternly at the Police Commissioner.

"We are not sure. We couldn't identify who the person is but we have our suspects. Our team is trying our absolutely best to track them down. And as soon as we do, you'll be the first to know," He responded.

"I can't believe this..." Cole sighed. Kai put his hand on Cole's shoulder for support.

"But for now, we would like to interview anyone who was close to him. Jay, do you mind?" The PC asked.

"Of course not," Jay replied, giving Nya a smile before stepping into the Police Commissioner's office.

The PC closed the door behind him after making sure no one would listen in on their conversation. Jay took a seat opposite the PC.

"Do you know of anyone who would do this? Anyone you know personally?" He asked.

Jay thought for a second before slowly shaking his head, "Not really. But with the way that things have turned out in the past, there could always be a mole."

The PC nodded, "There are a number of questions I would like to ask you. Is there another place that you have to be later today."

"No. I'm free all day. Ask away," Jay responded.

"Great," The PC glanced at his notepad, "Where were you doing yesterday?"

"Specifically what time?" Jay questioned.

"Talk me through your day," The PC sat forward, placing his hands on his desk and looking Jay straight in the eye.

"Well, I woke up, had breakfast, got dressed and chilled at the Bounty for a while with Cole until he left to go hang out with his boyfriend. I then went to see my councillor, Jessie. I was with her most of the day. I came home later that evening and went straight to bed," Jay explained.

"What time did you get back to the Bounty?" He wondered.

Jay shrugged, "Maybe around 7ish. You can ask Kai and Nya. I spoke to them as soon as I got in."

"Right... and where were you for the rest of the night?" He asked.

"I was--" Jay paused and narrowed his eyes at the police commissioner, "What do these questions have anything to do with trying to catch my father's killer?"

"Please answer the question," The PC told him sternly.

"I was in my bedroom. Sleeping," Jay folded his arms, suspicious.

"Alone?" He questioned.

"Yes," Jay replied.

"So where were you really at 7:36pm?" The PC sat forward again.

Jay also sat forward, a stern look on his face, "I'm sorry but you're making it sound like you're accusing me of killing my own father."

The PC stayed silent and looked at Jay suspiciously.

"You really think I would kill my own father?!" Jay exclaimed, "What's wrong with you?!"

The PC picked up his walkie talkie and spoke into it quickly. Jay was too focus on the fact that he was being accused of murder to even hear what he was saying. Jay quickly stood up and looked the PC in the face.

"I protect the innocent, not kill them. This conversation is over," Jay turned around to leave but two very muscular officers came in and grabbed hold of Jay.

Jay began to panic, his breathing becoming fast. The PC stood up and folded his arms.

One of the officers took Jay's hands and put them behind his back. Jay struggled and struggled to get out of their grip but it wasn't enough. Soon enough, his hands were in cuffs.

The officers took Jay out of the room, the PC following shortly behind. The team exchanged looks of shock and confusion.

"Jay Walker, I am arresting you on suspicion of the murder of Cliff Gordon," The PC began the usual protocol.

Jay continued to struggle to get out of the officer's grasp, tears forming as he looked eyes with his family and friends.

"Jay?!" Libber exclaimed, standing up. 

"You don't have to say anything but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court," He continued.

"I didn't do anything! Why are you arresting me?! Guys!" Jay yelled, catching the attention of everyone else in the police station. As Jay was being taken down the corridor, the team followed behind.

"What are you doing?" Lloyd questioned.

"Why are you taking him away?! He didn't do anything! He would never!" Nya screamed at the officers.

"I didn't kill him! I promise!" Jay shouted.

"Jay!" Nya shouted, trying to get his attention.

"You can say goodbye to your girlfriend. You'll never see her again," The officer spoke to Jay, which made him panic more.

Jay quickly turned his head to he could look at the love of his life. She quickly ran to keep up with him.

"I didn't do anything, Nya, you have to believe me," He begged.

"I believe you, I'll always believe you," She also panicked.

"I love you, Nya, remember that, okay?" Jay quickly told her before Nya kissed him on the lips.

"I love you more," She replied.

The officers quickly dragged him into a proper interview room. The PC stopped anyone from going any further.

"I'll fix this Jay, I promise!" Nya called to him before the door slammed shut.

The team were left alone. They were almost silent. They couldn't believe what just happened.

"Jay didn't really do it, did he?" Libber questioned, her eyebrows creased with worry.

"Of course not! He would never EVER kill someone," Kai replied.

"He didn't even kill Ben when he had the chance to," Lloyd told her.

"Whoever did this, is going to pay, I'll make sure of it," Nya snarled, trying to hold back her tears.

Cole growled and stormed off down the corridor, taking his phone out of his pocket. The team exchanged looks but refused to follow him. He needed to be alone.

The earth ninja stormed outside and to the alley way that both Jay and Nya had previously been down. He unlocked his phone and went straight to the call app. He clicked on the name that read, 'Caspian'. He put the phone to his ear and waited for his boyfriend to pick up.

"Hello?" A male voice spoke.

"Where the hell are you?!" Cole shouted down the phone.

"Woah, woah, woah, calm down. What do you mean? I'm at the appartment. It's not like I can go anywhere..." Caspian replied.

"Don't lie to me. My brother has just been thrown in prison because of you!" Cole exclaimed.

"Jay?" He questioned.

"No, Bob," Cole rolled his eyes, "Yes Jay!"

"What did he do?!" Caspian exclaimed.

"Nothing!" Cole took a deep breath, "Look, I'm going to ask you one question and I need you to answer it honestly, okay?"

"Okay."

"Did you murder Cliff Gordon?" Cole asked calmly.

"Isn't that your dad?" Caspian questioned.

"Just answer the damn question, Ben!" Cole shouted, beginning to lose his temper.

"Keep your voice down!" He responded, "I didn't kill anyone."

"What?" Cole frowned.

"I've been home the whole time. I promise. I don't know who killed Cliff but it definitely wasn't me," He replied.

Cole sighed.

"Looks like you've got a killer on your hands," Ben joked.

"No shit Sherlock," Cole rolled his eyes.

"I could always come and help you track 'em down," He suggested.

"No offence, but if you started roaming the streets, people would be chasing you with pitch forks and torches," Cole responded.

"Fair point," He smiled, "What did you tell the others?"

"About what?" Cole frowned.

"About me," Ben responded.

"Nothing. I said you were my boyfriend Caspian," He replied.

"Ooh, we're boyfriends now, huh?" Ben joked.

"It's a cover, duh," Cole rolled his eyes again.

"I know that dummy. But listen to me, if you're looking to find some clues to set you off, you might want to look at anyone who would want to hurt Cliff, like something with a grudge," Ben suggested.

"But that could be so many people," Cole sighed.

"You better get started then. If you need help, come to me, I have experience with being under cover. You might have a mole on your hands," Ben told him.

"Thanks, I'll catch you later," Cole said before hanging up.

He sighed before putting his phone back in his back pocket.

"Who was that?" A familiar female voice spoke at the foot of the alley.

Cole quickly turned around to see who it was, desperately hoping that they didn't hear his phone conversation.

"Oh, just Caspian. I called him to see if he saw anything suspicious around today. He gave me some pretty helpful advice to get me started on how I'm gonna catch the real killer too," Cole lied. Well, technically he was telling the truth too.

Nya nodded with a smile, "Is he gonna help us out?"

"He had to leave town in a few days so he won't be able to help out in person. I can always call him though," Cole replied.

"Well, if we're gonna bail Jay out any time soon, we better get started straight away, am I right?" Nya folded her arms.

Cole nodded, relieved that she didn't overhear.


	9. Evidence

"I would like you to tell me what happened at the Wailing Alps," The PC told Jay.

The lightning ninja was sat opposite the Police Commissioner in a small blue chair. He looked rather comfy as he was slouching a little. His arms were crossed and he refused to make eye contact.

"Oh, would you now?" Jay replied sarcastically.

"Don't get sassy with me, Mr Walker. As soon as we get this sorted, and only if you are telling the truth, you can get out of here. We can get to the bottom of this," The PC responded.

Jay sighed and looked him in the eye, "What exactly do you want to know?"

"What happened between you and Cliff?" He sat forward, staring Jay down, hoping to guilt trip him into spilling the beans.

Jay waited a moment before looking down at the floor, "When Cole and I reached the top of the Wailing Alps to see Ben, he gave me something."

"What does Ben have to do with this? Are you accusing Ben so that you can be let off the hook, because, I'm sorry, but that is not how this works," The PC explained.

"I know exactly how it works. And I never accused Ben. I'm not blaming him for anything. If you let me finish my sentence, you'd know why I brought him into this," Jay rolled his eyes.

The PC sighed and sat back in his chair, narrowing his eyes at the ninja. He was beginning to become even more suspicious by the minute.

"He gave me a file for a closed police investigation."

"What investigation?" The PC frowned.

"My attempted murder," Jay replied.

He nodded and smiled a little, "When Cliff tried to kill you..."

"Exactly. We did what we needed to do with Ben and headed back down the mountain. I confronted Cliff about it and then he left," Jay continued.

"What do you mean 'confronted'? Confronted how?" The PC raised an eyebrow.

Jay huffed and sat up properly, "I demanded answers and he tried to give me some stupid excuse. I told him I didn't want to see him again and then he left. I didn't hear anything from him and neither did anyone else."

The PC frowned and leaned forward, intrigued.

"You told him you didn't want to see him again, huh?" He smirked.

"In a way where I physically didn't want to see him, y'know, with my eyes," Jay rolled his eyes, "Not in a way where I'd want to kill him. Besides, I at least thought that he'd go home to see mom and grab some of his stuff. But he didn't. I never even told him to leave."

"When I interviewed Libber earlier she told me what he had said over the phone. It sounded to me like it was about what happened at the Wailing Alps," The PC folded his arms.

"Are you saying I'm the reason he wanted to commit suicide?!" Jay exclaimed.

The PC said nothing and looked down at the table. Jay sat forward quickly and slammed his hands down, catching the PC's attention.

"I trusted him with my life and he never even had the decency to tell me what happened," He yelled, "What he did was NOT my fault. It's not like I told him to do it."

"Did you ever wish he was dead?" The PC questioned.

"Never," Jay sat back, "I don't want to lose people whether they've done something wrong or not. I loved him. He may have tried to kill me but he was sorry for it. He hated himself for what he did. I didn't want him dead."

The PC fell silent as he thought for more questions to ask. Jay sighed.

"If you're really interested in what was said at the Wailing Alps, you can always ask anyone else who was there. They won't lie to you either." 

"So if it wasn't you who murdered Cliff then who was it?" The PC wondered.

Jay shrugged, "How would I know? I was home all night."

"Can't you think of anyone who would want to stab him?" He asked.

"He's the most famous movie star in all of Ninjago. There could be so so many people who either hate him or hold a grudge," Jay stated.

"What about Ben? You brought up the fact that he gave you the information, right?" The PC smirked a little.

"I let Ben go because I trust him. He never wanted to hurt anyone. I don't doubt for a second that he didn't have anything to do with it but he wouldn't have killed him. Not Cliff anyway," Jay explained.

"Ben is still out there," The PC reminded him.

"I know. And I trust that he hasn't and won't do anything. If he's anywhere, he'll probably be hiding anyway. It's not like he can take a nice peaceful stroll around the city, can he?" Jay rolled his eyes.

The PC sat back in his chair and sighed. He had had tough cases in the past but getting to the bottom of this could be even harder. He had no physically evidence except for the weapon, which had no finger prints on it. 

On the other side of Ninjago, Nya and Cole quickly approached the scene of the crime. It wasn't the best place to be early in the morning as the killer was still out there somewhere but they needed to get to the bottom of this before Jay could be accused anymore. 

The two landed their elemental dragons a few meters away and wandered up the the scene. There was police tape surrounding it but since the ninja were now working with the police to solve the case, they had the right to pass through. They both wore clean gloves so they wouldn't get their finger prints all over the evidence. 

Nya walked up to the pool of dry blood on the concrete floor. She hated looking at it but if she was to save her boyfriend, she would risk anything. Cole checked the grass and the bushes on the side of the road, hoping to find more evidence than just that knife, which was of course no longer there. 

"Hey Nya, come look at this," Cole told her as she tried to hide back her tears of the blood. She took a deep breath and headed over to where Cole was. 

He was stood on the damp grass and looking down at the floor. She glanced down at where he was stood and frowned. There, buried into the grass, was an ID card.

Cole and Nya exchanged looks before he picked it up.

On the card it read 'Cairo Crane'. 

"Who's that?" Nya frowned.

Cole smiled, "I know exactly who that is. He owns a bakery in Ninjago City. He makes my favourite chocolate cake of all time."

"Great. But why is it here?" She questioned.

Cole waved it around in his hand and smirked at Nya, "That is what we're going to find out."

"For now, it looks like you're gonna have to get yourself a lawyer," The PC smirked, "And all the good ones are expensive. So I guess you're out of luck, Walker."

"I don't have any money!" Jay exclaimed.

"Then maybe you'll have to defend yourself in court," He teased.

The door flung open, causing the two to drift the attention at who wandered in.

"No need. I'll do it for free."

Jay focused his gaze on a dark haired girl. She had pale green eyes and wore a black crop top with jeans and black trainers. She looked like a young teen but Jay guessed she probably wasn't. She had a slit in her left eyebrow, much like he had, and her nose was pierced with a small black stud.

She crossed her arms and smiled at Jay for a brief moment. Jay frowned. He had never seen her around before.

"And who are you exactly?" The PC stood up, looking her up and down.

"The best damn lawyer Ninjago has ever seen," She smirked.

"Name?" He frowned.

"Hayley Gordon."

"Never heard of you," The PC rolled his eyes.

"Well that's only because I just got out of law school but I WILL be the best damn lawyer Ninjago has ever seen," She replied, crossing her arms.

The PC glanced at Jay for a moment before sighing, "I'll give you two a moment then."

He quickly left the room and closed the door behind him, leaving the two in a room together. Jay struggled to find words.

"It's Jay, right?" She smiled.

"Why are you doing this for free?" 

"You might know my twin brother, Cole."

Jay froze, "What?"


	10. Spy

The doors to the police station burst open. The wooden blue doors hit the walls and made a loud bang, causing everyone to look over. The Police Commissioner, who was sat at reception glanced up at who had just walked through the door. They marched up to the desk with stern looks on their faces.

"You have access to all the CCTV in the city, right?"

It was the two ninja, Cole and Nya. With the evidence they had, they could surely get Jay out of prison. Maybe...

"Who's asking?" The PC crossed his arms and sat back in his chair.

"Us," Cole glared.

"It's important," Nya stated seriously.

The PC sighed, "What CCTV camera do you want me to look at?" 

"Do you have access to the one inside of Cairo's Bakery?" Cole wondered, leaning against the desk.

"Of course," He looked at his computer and began to type stuff using the black keyboard. He clicked on something and then looked back at the ninja.

"It looks normal to me," The PC shrugged.

"Can you look at the CCTV from Monday at around 4pm?" Nya asked.

The PC narrowed his eyes at the two, "What's this for?"

The two exchanged looks before the water ninja nodded slightly. Cole sighed a little and looked at the Police Commissioner.

"Nya and I went to the crime scene to look for clues or evidence. Just something we can use to help Jay. We found Cairo Crane's ID card so we went to speak with him. He said all his stuff was stolen on Monday by some anonymous robber. His wallet, containing his ID was also stolen," Cole explained.

The PC thought for a moment before looking at the CCTV from Monday the previous week. He fast forwarded to around 4 and saw the robbery right in front of his eyes.

"It's all here," The PC stated, sitting back, "This masked robber stole the wallet."

The two ninja glanced at each other with disbelief.

"Great, so we're no where near close to finding out who killed Cliff," Nya rolled her eyes.

"Well whoever took the wallet obviously planted the ID at the scene of the crime on purpose. They're trying to throw us off. But they've got another thing coming," Cole replied angrily.

"You know, there is something you can do to help you find out who the killer is. Something little more... practical. Some more police work," The PC smiled.

"Like what?" Nya frowned.

"There are a few witnesses here. You could question them. You could get some intel on what the robber was doing and roughly what they looked like too," He suggested.

"That's not a bad idea," Nya smiled at Cole.

Cole thought for a moment before fake smiling, "Why don't you go ahead? I've got something I need to do first."

Nya nodded as she watched him walk out of the station. She turned to the Police Commissioner. 

"Hey on second thoughts, that might have to wait for later. There's something I need to do first," Nya told him.

"What could be more important than saving your boyfriend from a lifetime in Kryptarium?" The PC questioned.

"A rat. A two-faced rat."

"I can give you the address of the witness if you like. You can speak to them when you like," He wondered.

Nya nodded, "Yeah, thanks."

Cole wandered down the corridor of a random apartment in the middle of the city. He walked up 2 flights of stairs and straight to the end of the corridor. He looked around him to make sure he hadn't been followed and then knocked the door.

_Apartment number 14_

He heard shuffling around from the other side of the door and then heard a lock turn. The door soon opened to reveal a boy around the same age as Cole. He had thin brown hair, green eyes and wore a light green shirt.

The boy smiled at Cole and put his arm against the door frame.

"Well if it isn't my darling boyfriend," He teased.

Cole rolled his eyes and shoved past him and into the room. The boy closed the door behind him.

Suddenly, a head peered around the corner, like some sort of secret spy. When Nya had said that she needed to do something first, this was what she meant. She knew from the minute he left the station to make that phone call to 'Caspian' that there was something going on. She knew that he was hiding something. 

"Ben," She snarled.

Nya quickly returned to the police station, desperate to speak with someone about what she had just witnessed. She rushed up to the desk to see the Police Commissioner still sat there. 

"When can I see Jay?" She asked quickly.

The PC looked at her with a frown, "You can't."

"I need to. It's important," She told him.

"You can see him when he is taken to Kryptarium," He responded.

"And when will that be?" She questioned.

"When he admits to killing his father," He stated.

Nya rolled her eyes, "He won't admit to it."

The PC sighed and looked her in the eye, "I'll give you one visit, okay? You have 5 minutes. But that's it. Until he pleads guilty."

Nya nodded, "That's all I need."

The Police Commissioner walked Nya down the corridor and towards the room at the end; the interview room. He peered through the window at Jay, who was pacing up and down. He looked stressed.

He unlocked the door and opened it. Jay instantly looked over to see his girlfriend stood in the doorway with a smile. Jay beamed. They immediately hugged. 

"5 minutes," The PC reminded her as they pulled away. He closed the door behind them, leaving them alone in the room.

Jay looked his girlfriend in his eyes and her hands. This could be the last time they ever saw each other.

"You know I didn't kill my father, right? I would never ever want to hurt him. I don't want to hurt anyone except the murderer," Jay told her, panicking slightly.

Nya gently pecked him on the lips. This took Jay by surprised and left him speechless.

"I know," She smiled, "But that's not why I wanted to speak to you."

"Then what is the reason?" He frowned.

"It's about your two-faced brother," She snarled.

Jay frowned, "Cole? What did he do this time?"

"He was acting really sketchy and he said he needed to do something before we continue with the case so I--" She began to explain.

"Woah, what? You're helping with the case?" He smiled.

"Of course. I don't want you stuck in here. You did nothing wrong," She told him which made him gleam with joy.

His face instantly returned back to a serious expression, "continue."

"So I followed him and he went to some random apartment in the city. He knocked on a door and you'll never guess who it was," She told him.

"Who?" He frowned.

"Some mole that goes by the name Ben," She replied.

Jay's eyes widened, "B-Ben?"

She nodded, "Caspian, Cole's _boyfriend,_ isn't real. It's a cover so you don't find out about him helping Ben."

Jay let go of Nya's hands and turned away for a moment. She could see the look of hurt and betrayal in his eyes. It hurt her.

"I didn't want you to find out like this Jay but you needed to know before anything happens. Who knows why Cole is helping him," She said softly.

Jay sighed, "I know. Thank you Nya. I just don't know what to do now. Do I confront him? Don't I? Ugh, why is this so difficult."

Nya stayed silent for a moment, thinking of what to say. What could she possibly say that will make him feel better? So much had happened during the last 24 hours and it was unbelievable. Jay was struggling to keep track of it all.

"Speaking of Cole... I got a lawyer for free," Jay stated out of the blue.

Nya frowned, "One, how did you get one for FREE?! And two, what does that have to do with Cole?"

"Well... she's called Hayley and she's my sister," Jay turned around with a smile.

Nya froze on the spot. She opened her mouth to say something after a moment but nothing came out. Jay continued to awkwardly smile until she finally spoke up.

"Did you just say sister?" She questioned.

Jay nodded, "I didn't believe it at first either but then she explained everything to me. She's Cole's twin sister. The only one of us that Cliff actually bothered to keep."

"Excuse me?" Nya frowned.

"But he sent her off to law school ASAP," He rolled his eyes.

"Wow, it's like the secrets never end," She sighed.

"Especially with the people I trust," Jay looked down, "I can't believe Cole would do this to me. I mean I know I said I can _trust_ Ben now but that doesn't mean he could go behind my back and help him out."

"Yeah, well, I'm gonna keep a close eye on them, okay? I don't have to say anything if you don't want me to," She told him, taking his hands into hers again.

Jay thought for a minute before shaking his head, "No. You should talk to him. Maybe he knows something about my father's death. I didn't want to believe it but there could be a possibility that Ben killed him."

"You think so?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Personally, no, but there will always be that chance. Sure, Ben may have changed, but that doesn't mean he's not still that cold hearted killer deep down. I know I'm stuck in here but I can still help. Kind of..." He replied.

Nya nodded, "Should I tell him that I told you?"

Jay shook his head, "I can use it against him when I really need to."

Nya smiled at her love, "Everything has been a mess lately that we haven't spent any time together."

"I miss spending time with you," Jay looked at her lovingly.

"Me too."

Jay's smile quickly faded. He looked down at the floor hopelessly.

"What?" Her eyebrows creased with worry.

"What if this really is the last time we see each other?" He asked sadly.

Nya thought for a second, _I don't want this to be the last time. I don't want to spend the rest of my life without him. He's too important to me. I can't live without him._

She placed her hand on his cheek and wiped away a tear, "It's not."

He looked up at her with disbelief. The pain in his eyes shattered her heart into millions of tiny pieces. Jay was just a teenager and the way that life was treating him was cruel. He had his whole childhood taken away from him to become a ninja; to save the world. But it all backfired. All he experienced was pain and sorrow. He'd lost too many people. This was the sort of pain that nobody, especially someone his age, should ever experience. And now he was really losing the fight. He was losing _everything_.

"This is not a goodbye, Jay," She told him, tears also filling her eyes, "It's just a... a see you later."

Jay sniffled and nodded, trying to keep as positive as possible. Positivity wasn't his strong point anymore. _Nothing_ was his strong point.

"I won't let your whole life be taken away. I won't. I will continue to fight for you, okay? I will fight until the day I die if I have to. You will get justice. I promise," She replied.

"Nya?" 

"Hm?"

"Why are you doing this?" He questioned.

She thought for a second before smiling a little.

"Because I'm in love with you Jay."

Jay looked at her with his whole heart, just like he had always done. Sure, he knew that Nya loved him but he never knew that she was _in_ love with him. It made him feel so much better to know that even when he was broken and lost, someone still loved him and someone still cared.

"And love makes you do stupid things," She smiled.

Jay smiled too. They hugged as if it were their last hug and they kissed as if it were their last kiss. 

Nya was scared of losing him. She was so _so_ scared. But she needed to stay strong for him. She made a promise and she was determined to keep it.

The door opened after a few moments to reveal the PC stood there with his arms folded.

"Time's up," He stated sternly.

She nodded and turned back to Jay.

"I will make this all right, okay? I'll fix everything, I promise."

Jay's future may have been smashed into tiny glass shards for now but at least the world knew that Jaya would never end whether they were together or not. Their bond was unbreakable. Their love was undeniable. Their relationship was never ending. And the whole universe would know it soon enough. They just needed to wait. 

Jay had no story to tell. His time was over... for now.


	11. Help

He thought he handled that pretty well. Nya would never find out about his little secret. Never. Right? He could keep this all a huge secret until the end of time. Or at least when everything had died down about Ben being a psycho and a murderer.

The apartment was so hidden into the city. Ben was hiding in plain sight, where the team were less likely to look. The only rules were that Ben couldn't go outside. It was for his safety. He'd only be chased down anyway.

So Cole helped him. So what? It wasn't a big deal, right? The team gave up on Ben ages ago. They were sick of him and he was sick of himself too. Things changed. It wouldn't matter if Cole helped him or not. He'd be in a bad position either way.

Cole often went to see Ben. He used the excuse of having a boyfriend named Caspian so that it wouldn't seem suspicious. He thought it was working pretty well. 

After finding that ID and having absolutely no evidence of who the robber or the killer is, he needed to do his daily visit to his darling _boyfriend_. Or more like his frenemy for that matter...

Cole entered the apartment, feeling a little guilty. He was also ticked off as he didn't believe Ben for a second when he asked whether he killed Cliff or not. He didn't know who to trust anymore.

"So what brings you by on this fine summers morning?" Ben joked.

"This isn't funny, Ben. I think Nya is on to me..." Cole panicked a little as he paced up and down the main room.

"Woah," Ben stopped, which also made Cole stop, "what are you talking about? She knows?!"

"No! I don't think so anyway. I just--" He took a breather, "I can't have Jay finding out."

"Why not? I thought Jay and I were cool now," Ben frowned.

"Jay doesn't one hundred percent trust you, y'know? You still ruined his life and tried to kill others. Although I don't know whether you murdered Cliff or not," Cole murmured.

"I didn't. I told you that. Have a little faith in me," Ben rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Look, Jay will never fully trust you but he believes that you can change. And as long as Jay believes that, I believe that. But Jay isn't here right now, obviously. The one thing-- the two things I need to focus on is making sure you stay safe and secret and getting Jay out of prison," Cole explained.

"Then why are you here? I'm perfectly safe, aren't I?" Ben questioned.

"Because I don't know if I can trust you to stay here and stay out of harms way. I don't know if I can trust you to not do anything stupid, like murder someone!" Cole snapped.

"I told you I was done with that stuff! I'm grateful for another chance! I'm grateful that Jay didn't kill me when he had the chance!" Ben shouted back.

"The only reason I'm helping you is because of Jay. And now he's not here. Because of you," Cole glared at him.

"Why are you so determined that I had something to do with this? I've told you and told you, I don't. I'm changing, Cole, I really am," Ben told him.

"How do I know that?! How do I know that you aren't just leading me on or tricking me like you do with everyone?!" Cole yelled.

Ben sighed, "If you really don't believe in me then maybe you should just leave."

"Fine. I will."

Cole shoved past Ben and opened the front door. He slammed it shut behind him, causing Ben to flinch at the loud bang. He was grateful for the trust that Cole had given him but what if he had just lost it all? What if it was all gone in a blink of an eye?

Later that day, Cole returned home. He knew that Nya was probably out talking with the witness and didn't want to interrupt. It was probably the most sensible thing to do to just leave them to it. Nya was most likely upset about the fact that he had ditched her as well. Cole loved Jay with his whole heart but he also needed to keep his secret to Ben. The secret that had now been broken.

Cole sighed as he threw himself at his bed. Cole had had a long week. He could barely keep up with everything that had happened. He began to relax; his eyes beginning to close even though it was barely midday. But of course a ninja never sleeps. His phone, which was in his back pocket of his jeans, was ringing and buzzing like mad. He probably thought it would be Nya asking where he was but he didn't want to take his chances.

He reached for his phone and switched it on to see breaking news articles all over social media. He scrolled and scrolled until he found what he was actually looking for. Right there, in photographic proof was the one thing he did NOT want to see.

_Psycho killer Ben Miller spotted walking the streets of Ninjago City._

What had he done?

Cole rushed down the streets, keeping a track of the social media posts. Maybe there were clues as to where he was now. He turned down every corner and every street to try and find him. Just as he was about to give up, he spotted the teen's signature brown hair and green shirt. He looked around to see people everywhere, some paying attention to Ben. But Ben didn't really seem to care. 

He turned back and ran down the next street, hoping to have enough time. He ran down the nearest alley he could find and right down the other end. He hid in the darkness and waited for Ben to walk by. Then he grabbed him and pulled him into the alley.

Cole let go of Ben's wrist as he pushed him into the apartment. Cole slammed the door shut behind them.

"Cole, I can explain..." Ben began guiltily.

"What? What excuse are you going to come up with Ben?! You're sorry? Well sorry doesn't cut it. Not this time," Cole snapped.

"I don't know why I did that. I don't know what I was thinking," Ben sighed.

"Right. Because I definitely have time for you to be playing tricks like this, don't I? It's not like I'm trying to get my framed brother out of jail, am I?" Cole shouted.

"I'm sorry, Cole, I really am. My thoughts got the better of me and--" He began.

"Ben, I'm not doing this for me! I'm trying to help you stay safe! I'm trying to help you stay free! I don't want you locked up in that hell prison. And I'm pretty sure you don't want to be either. If you play stunts like this, you'll end up in jail. Is that where you want to be?!" Cole exclaimed.

"You're trying to help me stay free? You call this free?! You've locked me up in this apartment with nothing to do. No one to talk to. I can't even go to the shop and buy my own milk! You're not trying to keep me safe, Cole, you're just trying to keep me from hurting people because you don't trust me. You don't trust that people can change like Jay does. Kryptarium isn't the prison here. This apartment is," Ben argued.

"I do trust you, Ben, I just..." Cole sighed, "Everything is so hard for me right now."

"I don't care if things are hard for you. You still have your family and you have your friends there for you. I have no one. I'm not even being given the chance to show the public that I've changed. If you actually let me explain my reasoning for leaving the apartment, you might actually be surprised for once," Ben rolled his eyes.

Cole thought for a moment, "What's your explanation?"

"You and your friend get to walk around anywhere that you want. You can speak with anyone you want to speak to. I can't do that. I'm stuck here with nothing but my TV, which has terrible shows on BY THE WAY, and it's boring. You get to have so much fun walking around with your freedom. Yes, it may be hard for you right now, but at least you get fresh air and you get to experience the world. I don't. I'm missing my whole life because you're trying to keep me and the public safe," Ben explained, "I can see where you are coming from Cole, and I can't imagine what you've gone through but your job isn't just to protect people. It's to do the right thing as well. I really don't think that keeping me locked up in here is the right thing."

"I'm just trying to make things right..." Cole sighed.

"I know. Don't take this the wrong way, Cole, but you really need to think more with your heart rather than your head. Things won't change if the public forget about me. They won't. Things will only change if I show them that I've changed. If I walk down the streets without causing problems, they should be able to see that I'm only here to live my life like everyone else." 

Cole sighed. No matter how much he hated to admit it, Ben was right. Locking him up wasn't the right thing to do. Everyone deserved their own freedom.

"The only thing I ask for is a proper explanation as to why you want me to stay here. And as to why you check on me every day," Ben told him.

"I can see that you want to change, Ben. I just don't want anything to come in the way of it," Cole glanced down at the ground.

Ben smiled a little, "I need to learn by myself."

"I know that now," Cole rolled his eyes.

The boys were quiet for a moment. Cole folded his arms as Ben stood there awkwardly.

"I'm really sorry, Cole," Ben started, "I shouldn't have done what I did or I could have just spoken to you and it would've--"

Cole stepped forward and placed his hands on Ben's cheeks. He leaned forward and quickly connected their lips.

_This would change everything..._


	12. Problems

It was now 5 pm and the ninja were home. Kai, Zane and Lloyd were trying their best to stay positive so Nya told them to go play some video games. Plus, it would get them out the way for when Cole got back. She could talk to him about what was happening with Ben. Why was he even helping Ben in the first place?

She was sat on the sofa in the main room silently scrolling through her social media. All she could see was stuff about Ben roaming the streets and Jay being put in jail. There was so much negativity going round online at the moment and it hurt her. She wanted to desperately stand up for her boyfriend but she didn't want to start any drama. Especially not with everything going on right now.

She soon heard the front door from behind her. She switched off her phone and placed it on the sofa next to her. Turning to face the door, she realised that whoever it was didn't move. She glanced over to see Cole in complete shock. He was stood against the door. His breathing was heavy.

"Hey, where've you been all day?" She asked.

Cole looked her in the eye. There was nothing but guilt, shock and betrayal in his eyes. It made her worried about what he could have done.

"I've made a huge mistake," He spoke after a minute.

"Oh you mean helping Ben? Yeah, MASSIVE mistake," Nya rolled her eyes.

Cole's eyes widened as he loosened up a little, "What?! How do you know?!"

"I followed you," She smiled sarcastically.

"I--I--why?!" He exclaimed.

She shrugged her shoulders, "You were acting sketchy. Oh I also went to see Jay straight after too."

Cole stepped towards her with a serious look on his face. This could break his heart.

"Did you-- did you tell him?" 

She gulped and shook her head.

Cole breathed a sigh of relief.

"But um... we aren't allowed to see him until we prove his not guilty," Nya replied awkwardly.

"What?! How are we supposed to do that?!" Cole exclaimed.

"I don't know. Not that you care anyway, you're too busy sorting out your problems with Ben," Nya rolled her eyes.

Cole's hands began to shake a little, "Wh--what problems? What are you talking about?"

"Ben was roaming the streets. I'm guessing you sorted it. But if you're trying to keep him safe, why let him walk around?" She questioned.

"We had an argument but we sorted it out and..." He froze, that guilty look on his face again.

"What?" Nya frowned, "What did you do?"

"Made the biggest mistake of my life and if Jay finds out he will quite literally kill me," Cole buried his head in his hands as he sat down next to Nya.

"Cole, what did you do?" Nya repeated sternly.

Cole sighed and waited a few moments before finally speaking up.

"I kissed Ben."

Nya frowned and move closer to him.

"You what? I'm sorry I think I misheard you. Could you say that again?" 

Cole stood up and started pacing.

"You know what I said, Nya," His voice was shaky.

"Why?! Why would you do that?!" Nya shouted, her anger taking over.

"I don't know what got over me! I just-- we were having a heart to heart moment and I just... ugh," He explained.

"Jay will literally kill you!" She exclaimed.

"Don't you think I know that?!" He shouted.

"Do you.... like Ben? Y'know... like _like_ him?" She questioned, trying to remain calm.

"No," Cole paused, "Ugh, I don't know!"

Nya sighed and thought to herself for a moment.

"And worse... I got frustrated with myself for doing it and left straight after without really saying. But... it felt so good..." Cole smiled a little as he thought of Ben.

"COLE!" Nya shouted, clicking her fingers in his face.

"See what I mean?! I'M GOING INSANE!" He screamed.

Nya sighed, "You can't control your feelings, Cole, but you need to get them sorted out."

"I can't like Ben! Don't you remember how he tried to kill me?! And you guys... especially Jay," He explained.

"He hurt you, Cole. He hurt us all," Nya reminded him.

"But he's different now. Y'know... maybe I could just avoid him?" He suggested.

"What about taking care of him? He's counting on you," She said.

Cole sighed, "I can't let myself like him. Never. But... the kiss... it felt so good. It just felt... real."

"Kiss? Who'd you kiss?" A voice spoke from the doorway.

Cole almost completely froze as he saw his teammates stood in the doorway. Nya pretended as if they were having a normal conversation.

"Caspian," He replied quickly, "My b-b-"

"Boyfriend. His boyfriend," Nya rolled her eyes.

"You kissed?!" Lloyd exclaimed happily.

Cole gulped before nodding with a fake smile.

"That's huge! When can we meet Caspian?" Zane beamed.

Cole glanced at Nya, who looked away, "um..."

Kai narrowed his eyes at the earth ninja. He had always been suspicious about this Caspian guy. He'd never heard of him before. It seemed rather sketchy to him.

"He's a very closed off guy," Nya spoke up.

Cole nodded almost instantly.

"Aw, that's a shame," Zane replied.

"I'm so happy for you two! Sounds like you're becoming a proper official couple now!" Lloyd smiled.

Cole laughed awkwardly, "Yeah..."

The green ninja and ice ninja left to go back to the game room whilst Kai stood there staring at the them suspiciously.

"What?" It made Cole nervous.

"Nothing," Kai glared before leaving.

Cole breathed a sigh of relief, "Thanks Nya."

"It's the only time I'm backing you up. You sort this out. It's either Ben or Jay. You know Jay will hate you for kissing him," Nya told him.

"I don't know what to do. It'll be so awkward tomorrow..." Cole sighed.

"Then go speak to him now. I'll cover for you," Nya replied, folding her arms.

"Really?" He smiled.

Nya nodded, a fake smile plastered across her face.

"Thanks Nya," He said before leaving again.

Nya sighed, hoping he would make the right decision. She didn't want Jay to get hurt anymore. It was like her personal mission to get his life back on track. 

Cole stood at the end of the corridor staring at Ben's apartment door. Whatever was going to happen in there could change the future of their 'friendship'. If they were even friends.

He took a deep breath and marched up to the door and knocked twice, hoping Ben wasn't asleep. It was 8:34pm now. 

After a few moments, he heard the lock from the other side and the door opened slowly. Ben peeked his head around.

"Cole," He gave him a small fake smile.

"Can we talk?" Cole asked shakily.

Ben nodded and invited him in.

There was an awkward silence for a minute or two.

"Can I...uh... get you something to eat or drink or something...?" Ben asked.

Cole shook his head.

And then it went back to awkward silence. On the way there, Cole had planned this conversation, well many _many_ variations of it. He wanted to tell Ben that kissing him was a mistake. He wanted to tell him that Jay was his top priority. He didn't have time for distractions. But now that he was actually there... he couldn't say any of it. 

"I haven't stopped thinking about our kiss," Ben stated awkwardly.

Cole glanced at him and nodded a little.

"Ben, we... we have to forget about that... that kiss, okay? I'm not here for a kissing session. My brother is the most important person to me and I don't need any distractions. I need to focus on saving Jay and--" Cole tried to explain.

"So I'm just some distraction to you?" Ben questioned.

"That's not what I meant," Cole sighed.

"Cole, that kiss was different and I know you feel the same way. It felt... right somehow," Ben stepped forward.

Cole took a step back, "Ben..."

"I know it's a long shot but... what if what we have is more than just frenemies? More than just friendship?" He questioned.

"Ben... I really can't..." Cole felt a little uncomfortable. 

"Ever since we met up again for that first time... there hasn't been a day that's gone by where I don't think about you. And you must have kissed me for a reason, right?" 

"Ben, it was all a mistake. It was all just a huge mistake," Cole snapped, "Look, roam the streets all you want. I don't care anymore. I don't want anything to do with you. I don't want to see you again, got that?" 

Ben stood frozen still, hurt in his eyes. Cole backed away and left the apartment as soon as he could. As soon as Cole had left, Ben burst into tears.

Now he knew what it was like to be hurt. To be betrayed. To be humiliated. He hurt so many people and it was all his fault. No wonder Cole didn't want to be with him.

Cole knew he made the right decision in the long run but... he felt bad. He could have put it a gentler way but instead he snapped just like he always does.

The next day, Nya headed off to go interview the witness. Cole decided to stay behind. He wasn't feeling too great about what had happened. He still felt extremely guilty for the way he left things with Ben. 

He lead in bed, in silence, for quite some time. It was around 11am when he finally decided to pick up his phone. He slowly read through his social media. He was relatively happy until he came across hundreds of hate posts and exposures about the only person he didn't want to think about. _Ben._

He was receiving hate for trying to change and that people were letting him walk through the streets like any other normal person. He hated to admit it but it hurt to see these messages. And he was certain that Ben would have seen them too.

He got up, got dressed, and headed into the city as soon as possible. He searched and searched. Everywhere he went there were people hating and spreading nasty rumours. It hurt him. And it hurt him even more than he was one of those people who hurt Ben. In fact, he hurt him the most.

Cole thought for a minute. Where could Ben be? Then he had a great idea. He didn't know for sure whether he'd be there but it was a long shot.

He quickly formed his elemental dragon and flew off into the distance, determined to make things right.

After about 5-10 minutes of flying, he approached the mountain he knew so well. He learnt all his ninja moves and met the whole team there. It brought back so many memories. 

_The Monastery of Spinjitzu_

Sure, it had burnt down, but there was still the main structure and the emotional memories too. It made him feel whole again. 

Cole wandered up the rest of the steps and through what used to be the entrance. He looked around to see just who he was looking for sat by the edge. The slight breeze was blowing through his smooth brown hair. Cole took a deep breath before approaching.

Without saying anything, he sat beside Ben, catching his attention. Ben barely looked at him for a second. They sat in silence, staring out at the view.

It felt good that they were both there together but it made Ben feel so much better. He finally knew that he wasn't alone. After all, he did grow up lonely in an orphanage. 

"How did you know I'd be here?" Ben asked softly.

Cole smiled, "Because it's my favourite place on earth. And you're one of the only people who know that."

"I thought that since its special to you then it might make me feel better..." Ben sighed.

"Did it?" Cole asked.

Ben shook his head, "It just makes me feel worse."

Cole's smiled soon faded. Ben continued to look out at the horizon. It was peaceful and breath-taking 

"I'm sorry, Ben..." Cole sighed, "I shouldn't have acted the way that I did. I could have been honest with you."

"No, I'm sorry. I laid it on you out of no where and it was a terrible decision. I know that you'd never want to be with me especially after what I did to you, your friends and your brother. It's unforgivable," Ben explained.

Cole smiled and shook his head, "If Jay believes in you, I'm almost one hundred percent certain that you can change. It takes a lot to earn Jay's trust. And mine too."

"I guess it runs in the family," Ben joked.

Cole laughed a little.

There was another moment of silence. 

"Nya knows," Cole stated out of nowhere.

Ben frowned, "About...?"

"About me helping you. And the kiss," Cole sighed.

Ben raised an eyebrow, "You just can't keep a secret, can you?"

"Please, I have kept many secrets before. Like... y'know... when I... and when I... and then there was the time where..." Cole sighed, "Yeah I can't keep secrets."

Ben chuckled, "I really like spending time with you Cole. Can't we be friends at least? Just forget about what happened?"

Cole thought for a moment and sighed again.

"Nya told me that I could never be with you. I have to keep my priorities straight, like Jay. I thought that trying to make myself believe it was a mistake would help me to focus but I can't. She told me to sort out my feelings and I think I have..." Cole explained.

Ben nodded, "I need to back off."

Cole smiled. He liked spending time with Ben no matter what happened in the past. He couldn't deny his feelings anymore.

Cole leaned forward quickly and kissed Ben again but this time he _really_ enjoyed it. And so did Ben. In fact, it left Ben in shock.

"What I said... I was wrong. I really care about you Ben," Cole told him.

"But what about Jay? He'd hate you if he found out about our kiss and--" Ben began to ramble.

"I've always put Jay first. Whatever he has to say, he can say it to my face. And I don't care. I need to do something for me for once. Whoever I date is none of his business," Cole replied.

"Date?" Ben questioned.

Cole blushed as he looked down.

Ben smiled, "You want to date me?"

"Well... I mean.... yeah?" Cole smiled too.

Cole had never properly dated anyone before. And, yeah, it would probably be awkward for them both at first but they'd find a way around it. Somehow.

"So... I guess we're boyfriends now then..." Ben stated awkwardly. 

"Yeah," Cole blushed.

Ben laughed a little.

"What? What's wrong?" Cole frowned.

"I can finally say this without feeling guilty... you're super cute," Ben beamed.

Cole smiled but it quickly faded, "How am I gonna tell the others?!"


	13. Witness

Cole wandered through the door, the team were sat in the living room awaiting his return. As he looked over at them he could see the look of disappointment in their eyes. Did Nya tell them?

"Hey guys..." Cole said awkwardly.

"Where've you been?" Lloyd asked.

Cole glanced at Nya for a second before looking back at the green ninja.

"With my boyfriend," He responded.

"And being with your boyfriend is more important than saving Jay?" Kai questioned, folding his arms.

"Look, I'm fully focused now, okay? Besides, he can help us," Cole told them before wandering off to the kitchen.

"What do you mean 'help us?'" Nya frowned, approaching him.

The team stood around the kitchen table watching as Cole poured himself a cup of water.

"Cole," Nya said sternly.

"He may or may not be moving in..." Cole replied quietly.

"What?!" Nya exclaimed, knowing exactly who his 'boyfriend' was. 

"He's living in a small apartment, he's got no where else to go. They're gonna kick him out. So I told him he could stay here as long as he helps us out," Cole explained.

"That's really kind of you, Cole," Zane smiled. Cole returned it.

"You could have at least spoken to us first though," Kai folded his arms.

Nya sat there and glared at the earth ninja. She knew what was going on and she did not like it for a second.

"Look," Cole sighed, "Before you meet him, I have a confession to make."

"A confession?" Lloyd frowned.

The ninja exchanged looks of confusion. Cole barely ever lied to them.

"Caspian isn't... well... he _is_ my boyfriend but his real name isn't Caspian," Cole told them.

Nya rolled her eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Kai questioned.

"His real name is--" Cole began.

"Ben," Nya interrupted. "Cole's fake boyfriend is Ben."

"Ben?!" Lloyd and Zane exclaimed in unison.

"I knew it!" Kai shouted, "I knew you were hiding something!"

"He needed help and since Jay could trust him, I--" Cole tried to explain.

"You could have spoken to us!" The fire ninja yelled.

"He wasn't my boyfriend at first, I used it as an excuse so you guys wouldn't think it was suspicious," Cole told them.

"Oh, it was suspicious alright," Kai rolled his eyes.

"I don't know why you're annoyed at me. Don't you remember how you betrayed the whole team and tried to break Ben out of prison?" Cole raised an eyebrow.

Kai broke eye contact and stayed quiet. He knew what he did was wrong. Ben played him. 

"Wait, Cole, what do you mean 'at first'?" Nya stepped forward, her heart racing.

"Um... we're actually kind of an official couple now," He replied awkwardly with a smile.

Nya froze, disappointment in her eyes. She thought Cole would've done the right thing but obviously not.

"You and Ben are..... DATING?!" Lloyd exclaimed.

"He's actually really kind hearted once you get to know him. All he wants is his freedom," Cole told them.

"Colen...?" Zane frowned.

"What?" Kai questioned.

"Cole and Ben.... Colen?" Zane smiled, "Y'know, like Jay and Nya are Jaya."

"You're actually shipping them?!" Nya shouted at Zane.

"How did you two find out you liked each other?" Lloyd wondered.

Cole thought for a second and sighed.

"I kind of... kissed him..."

"Jay's going to kill you!" Kai shouted.

"I know but..." Cole began.

"But...?" Nya frowned.

"I've always been there for Jay. I've done everything for him. I'm finally doing something for me," Cole explained.

Nya shook her head in disgust, "You're gonna break Jay's heart."

Cole glanced down at his hands. That's the one thing he was most worried about. He just desperately hoped that Jay would be okay with it. In some way...

Nya sighed, "We have more important stuff to be doing right now. Cole and I should go and see that witness."

Cole nodded, hoping it wouldn't be _too_ awkward between them.

The two walked silently to the witness' house. They stood at the bottom of the path for a moment. Just as Cole was about to wander up to the door, she grabbed his wrist and made him turn to face her. He rolled his eyes, refusing to look at her.

"Look at me," She demanded.

He looked her in the eye, knowing that she was going to shout at him.

She sighed, "I don't care if you and Ben are together. If it makes you happy, it's fine. We don't get a say in what you do. But you have to at least take into consideration what happened in the past. Ben is a dangerous person."

"No he's not. His past was controlling him. But I've helped him and I will continue to help him. He's not the person you think he is, Nya," Cole explained.

"Cole, he tried to kill us all! He STABBED your brother!" She exclaimed.

"If you're only going to lecture me about how bad of a person he used to be then don't bother talking to me. You don't know Ben like I know him," He snatched his wrist away from him.

"Jay's gonna find out sooner or later. And he didn't seem so happy when I told him either," She folded her arms.

Cole frowned, "Hold on... you told me that you didn't tell Jay."

Nya froze on the spot, looking down at the ground, "I... uh..."

Cole shook his head in disgust as he began walking down the path, his back to the water ninja.

She took a deep breath and followed behind him. She's really messed up this time. And she promised Jay that she'd make things right. She was messing things up between the inseparable brothers. 

Cole stopped at the foot of the door and knocked loudly, hoping someone was in. Nya stood to the side of him, guilt plastered all over her face. She tried to keep as calm as possible.

The door slowly opened, revealing a slightly taller, thiner, middle-aged woman. She wore a plain black hoodie, blue jeans, and white converse. She had curly blonde hair. She smiled at the two.

"Sabrina?!" Nya exclaimed.

"Mom?" Cole frowned.

"What brings you two here then?" She smiled, leaning against the door frame.

Cole and Nya exchanged looks of confusion.

"Um... the police gave us your address," Cole tried to shake it off.

"They did, huh? I'm guessing you're investigating the robbery at the bakery," She spoke.

They nodded, hoping she would tell them something or exactly what they needed to get Jay out.

"Well, it's all a little blurry but... I can tell you what happened," She smiled.

"Great," Cole took out a notepad and pen from his pocket. He flipped it open and waited for her to start speaking.

"So I was feeling a little peckish and decided I wanted a nice pastry from the best bakery in the city. Everything was normal when I got there. It was quite quiet. I was waiting in line and this guy dressed in black entered the shop with a gun. He told us all to get on the ground, which we did. He went behind the register and took the owner's wallet and plenty of money from the cash register," She explained, "Then he left."

"That's it?" Nya frowned.

She nodded, "I wish I knew more."

Cole finished noting details down in the notepad and then put it back in his pocket.

"Didn't you notice anything different about the robber? Like... eye colour? Or foot size?" Nya questioned.

Sabrina smiled, "I wish but I was terrified for my life."

Nya sighed, feeling hopeless.

"Why are you helping the police out anyway? Surely you've got something better to do," Sabrina wondered.

"Jay was framed for the murder of Cliff and we're just trying to figure out who the real killer is," Cole told his mother.

She almost choked on her own saliva, "Excuse me?"

Nya turned to Cole, "She doesn't know."

Cole sighed, "Cliff was murdered a few days ago. Since there was no evidence that Jay wasn't alone that night, they assumed he did it so now he's locked up."

"Why would they just assume that a son would kill his own father?!" Sabrina questioned.

"Juicy gossip for the media I'm guessing..." Cole replied, "And after everything that happened at the Wailing Alps too."

Sabrina nodded, feeling sorry for the team and Jay. 

"None of you guys deserve to be treated that way after everything you've done for Ninjago. Sorry I couldn't help. If you need me, you know where to find me though," She gave them a smile of reassurance.

"Thanks mom," Cole smiled as she closed the door. 

Nya turned to Cole with a sigh.

"So now what?" She asked him.

Cole shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know... but there has to be something."

"Like what?" 

He thought for a second before a lightbulb flickered on above his head, "What if we check the scene of the crime? Maybe there's some evidence?" 

"That's a good idea! Let's go!" Nya beamed.

Cole and Nya shortly arrived at the scene of the crime. The shop was closed but they could see the owner, Cairo Crane, through the window. He quickly turned to see the two ninja peering inside. He smiled at the sight of his favourite customer. He rushed up to the door and opened it for the two to come in.

"Did you have any luck with finding out who killed Cliff?" Cairo asked, locking the door after them.

Nya shook her head, "We're still working on it."

Cairo nodded and stood behind the counter, thinking they were there to order something.

"I know that we only came here to ask questions before, Cairo, but we were wondering if we could take a look around. Maybe there could be some clues or something as to who robbed you?" Cole asked politely.

"Of course," Cairo smiled, "Actually, there was something that I was keeping a secret."

"What is it?" Nya questioned.

Cairo put on his black leather gloves that were on the side of the counter. He reached under the desk in front of him and took something from the shelf. He gently placed it on the counter in front of them. Nya and Cole gasped at it.

"The gun the robber had?" Nya frowned.

Cairo frowned, "He left it behind. I decided to put it under the desk so that no one would find it or if they came back to get it... I could... y'know... use it."

Cole nodded, "Did you touch it with your bare hands?"

He shook his head, "I used gloves. The robber also wore gloves I think but you never know who may have touched it before."

Nya smiled, "Thank you so much Cairo."

"Yeah, this helps us a lot," Cole also smiled, "We'll take this to the police and hopefully find some finger prints on it."

Cole took out a plastic evidence bag from his pocket and let Cairo gently place the gun inside it. Cole placed the bag back in his hoodie pocket, hoping to not catch anyone's attention as they walked down the street.

"We'll let you know if we find anything, Cairo," Cole told him as they were about to leave.

"See you soon," Cairo smiled at the two.


	14. New Roommate

The team were sat on the sofas in the main room, waiting. Cole was stood in front of them all, a smile on his face.

"Can you at least try to like him?" Cole asked.

"He tried to kill us, Cole, no."

"Kai, I know you don't like him, but things are different now. _He's_ different," Cole told him.

Kai crossed his arms and shook his head in disgust.

"Kai is right, how do we know that we can trust him? He's done nothing but trick us into trusting him," Zane spoke up.

Cole sighed, "Ugh, you guys are hopeless."

"Where is he even going to be staying?" Lloyd questioned.

"I'm not sharing with him, that's for sure," Wu spoke from the corner.

The team nodded their heads, desperately hoping that they don't have to share a room with the psycho. 

"He's going to be staying in my room. With me," Cole stood up proudly, a smile on his face again.

"You?" Nya frowned.

"I don't want to hear you making out in the middle of the night, thanks," Kai replied sarcastically.

"Ew, don't be gross," Cole rolled his eyes.

Suddenly, there was a relatively loud knock at the door. Cole smiled and turned to his teammates with his finger pointing towards them as he wandered over to answer it. 

"Just pretend to like him."

Cole put his hand down and opened the door to see his boyfriend with a few bags. He gave him a quick hug.

"Hey," He whispered.

"Hey," Ben whispered back.

The team refused to look at him.

"Come in, come in, please, make yourself at home," Cole told him.

Ben picked up his bags and put them on the floor by the door as Cole closed it. The earth ninja took Ben's hand and walked him over to the rest of the team.

"Guys, please make Ben feel at home," Cole told them awkwardly.

They mumbled out of unison so it was hard to hear what they were saying but Ben assumed it was bad.

"I know that I'm not the best person," Ben started.

Kai laughed, "Oh really?"

"You think?" Nya rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.

Ben took a deep breath, "But I've changed now and I hope you can learn to trust me. Just like Cole has."

Cole nodded. Zane and Lloyd exchanged looks of suspicion. They felt as if Ben was up to something. In fact, they _knew_ he was. Why would he just suddenly take a liking to one of their members, especially one who could be very vulnerable considering everything that happened.

"These guys will get used to it at some point, Ben, don't worry. They'll get over themselves at some point," Cole told Ben, annoyed at his teammates. 

Ben sighed, trying to stay positive. He knew this was going to be hard.

Nya leaned towards her brother and whispered, "This isn't going to end well for anyone."

"I know," Kai whispered back.

"Let me show you where you'll be sleeping," Cole told Ben, glaring at his teammates as they walked out of the room. Ben felt a little uncomfortable.

As soon as they heard Cole's bedroom door close, the team burst into conversation, each person talking over the other.

"What are we supposed to do about him?" Lloyd questioned.

"He's letting a serial killer into our home!" Kai exclaimed.

"He's betrayed us so many times," Zane stated.

"How can we learn to trust him?" Wu asked.

"Ugh, he makes me mad," Nya snarled.

"Guys, guys," Misako spoke from the other side of the room, "Unless you want Cole and Ben to hear exactly what you're saying, I'd keep your voices down if I were you."

The team fell silent.

"And you know that talking about someone behind their back is wrong. Yes, Ben has done bad things but everyone deserves a second chance, right?" Misako told them.

"Mom, we've given him _many_ chances and he's _still_ betrayed us. Every time," Lloyd told his mother.

Misako sighed, "He looked like he genuinely wanted to change. And you know Cole is better than that. If he knew that Ben couldn't be trusted, why would they be dating?"

Kai huffed, "I'm saying this right now, it's a bad idea."

"And Jay isn't going to be happy with it either," Nya reminded them what she had said before.

"We better keep a close eye on him then," Lloyd stated. The team nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Cole finished helping Ben unpack. Cole wouldn't stop talking about who knows what and all Ben could think about was the rest of the team.

"So that's how we realised that we went to the wrong airport and-" Cole paused as he looked over at his boyfriend.

Ben was sat on the bed, a miserable look on his face.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked, concerned.

Ben shrugged his shoulders, "The others will never trust me. I'm just a sinner. That's all they'll ever see."

"No," Cole sat beside him, "They'll learn to like you again, I promise. If I have to knock some sense into them, I will. Besides, you can prove yourself by helping out with the investigation. Then maybe Jay could trust you too."

"Are you sure?" Ben frowned.

Cole nodded.

"Thanks, Cole," Ben smiled, "For everything."

Cole placed a hand on Ben's shoulder. Their faces were inches away from each other's. They looked at each other as if there was no other care in the world.

"Hey," Ben whispered awkwardly.

"Hey," Cole whispered back.

They stayed silent for a moment just staring at each other.

"I feel like we should kiss but I don't think the others would approve," Cole told them.

"Who cares about the others? It's not like they're watching us make out," Ben replied.

"True," Cole laughed a little.

Another minute of silence passed until they both began to lean in. Just as their lips were about to touch, the door swung open. They quickly moved away from each other, Ben sitting on the bed still and Cole stood up, looking around awkwardly.

"The police station just called," Kai told them quickly.

Cole nodded quickly, pretending he heard Kai. Ben looked down at the floor.

Kai narrowed his eyes at the two, "You were totally about to kiss, weren't you?"

"No," Cole coughed.

"Yes," Ben stated instantly.

The two glanced at each other, almost smirking.

"Ew," Kai snarled, "Nya needs us all in the front room right now."

"Okay... we'll be there in a sec," Cole replied.

Kai glared at Ben as he walked off, pointing his finger at him as if to say 'I'm watching you'. Ben gave Kai a fake innocent smile and smiled as he went out of sight.

"Sorry about Kai," Cole rolled his eyes.

"It's all good. I'm just glad I can help you and Jay out. Jay doesn't deserve to be locked up for something he hasn't done," Ben replied.

Cole nodded, "I know."

The two eventually left the room and wandered down the corridor together. The team were sat in the exact same spots they were sat in before, except Nya was stood at the front. Cole and Ben stayed in the doorway. 

Nya glanced at them as they walked in, "Oh so you finally decided to show up."

"Chill," Cole rolled his eyes.

"Yeah well I can't be chill if you've brought a murderer into our home, can I?" She snarled.

"Can you please just act your age for once?!" Cole retorted.

"Guys! Come on, this isn't about arguing. We're here for Jay, remember?" Ben cut in, stopping the argument from escalating more. 

Nya looked at the floor and sighed. Cole nodded, staring Nya down.

Lloyd leaned towards Zane, who was pretending like those two hadn't been arguing for the last few days. 

"It's hard to believe that those two had ' _history'_ ," Lloyd whispered. Zane nodded in agreement.

"You said that the police called?" Kai questioned, trying to get back on topic.

Nya nodded, "They've tested for fingerprints over the gun and they managed to find something."

"What did they find?" Cole asked.

"Whose fingerprints are they?" Wu wondered.

"Apparently they belong to someone called Jake Smith," Nya frowned.

Ben gasped, "I know who that is!"

Everyone turned to face him, confused and intrigued looks on their faces.

"Jake was the guy that helped me on my secret 'mission', y'know... when I wanted to take over all of Ninjago? He was my sidekick," Ben explained.

"Well that makes sense how you'll know him then," Kai rolled his eyes.

"But he told me he didn't want to be bad. He said that he wanted to be good and not cause harm," Ben added.

"So why would his fingerprints be on a gun?" Zane frowned.

"Especially one that was in a robbery?" Lloyd questioned.

Nya smiled, "That is what we're going to find out."

"It is?" Cole raised an eyebrow.

"Mmhmm," Nya nodded, "All thanks to the Police Commissioner, I was sent the address of this Jake dude so we can go ask him some questions."

"Sounds great to me," Kai stood up and headed towards the door, "finally time to make his sucker pay for his crimes and throwing our brother in a stinky jail cell."

Nya put her hand out in front of her brother and pulled him back, "You're not coming."

"What do you mean I'm not coming?!" Kai exclaimed.

"You aren't exactly the nicest of people. You'll probably end up beating someone up," Nya told him.

"What if they deserve it?" Kai folded his arms.

"It's not going to help us get to the bottom of this," Nya replied and looked at Ben, "And that's why we're taking you."

"Me?" Ben frowned.

"You obviously know Jake better than any of us here, which means he'll most likely speak if you're there," Nya explained.

Ben shook his head, "Last time we saw each other... I almost killed him. I doubt he'd want to see me again."

"It's worth a try," Cole told him.

Ben sighed and nodded, "I guess so."

"Guess we're off to see Jake then," Nya stated.


	15. Fingerprints

The trip to Jake's was silent. No one spoke. No one _felt_ like speaking. Nya already hated Ben's guts and Cole knew that if he was to try and start a conversation, it would most likely end up with him and the water ninja fighting. Ben just didn't want to make things awkward. 

Ben already knew that being outside would be hard, especially since the police and the people were tracking him down. But after a lot of persuading and begging, Cole managed to get his name cleared, meaning if he was to go outside then the police wouldn't pounce on him like a lion on its pray. 

This was also a chance for Ben to prove that he had changed to not only Ninjago but to the team too. If Ben could help solve the investigation and set Jay free, surely they could trust him again, right? Only time would tell. 

"So..." Ben began awkwardly.

"Don't even-" Nya began sternly.

"He's allowed to speak, Nya," Cole told her, "freedom of speech, remember?"

"Sure. Everyone is allowed to speak," Nya fake smiled, "Except him."

Ben sighed and Cole rolled his eyes.

"What's your problem?! He's helping us out, isn't he?" Cole frowned.

"Doesn't prove he's changed. He wanted to help out last time and what did he do? Brought Jay's worst nightmare back to life only to make his already horrible life EVEN MORE HORRIBLE," Nya shouted.

"Just get over yourself Nya," Cole rolled his eyes.

"Excuse me?" Nya raised her eyebrows, stopping dead in her tracks.

"You heard me," Cole stepped towards her, his arms folded, "You're so wrapped up in yourself and refuse to think people can change, which is stupid if you ask me."

"People don't change, Cole," Nya told him, an annoyed tone of voice.

"You're right. You're still the same person you were when you cheated on Jay with his _best friend_ ," Cole gritted his teeth.

Nya froze, her breathing beginning to get heavier. She had completely forgotten about what she had done. She never thought of it that way. She never thought it had bothered him.

"Once a cheater," Cole snarled, "Always a cheater."

"Okay," Ben stepped between them, breaking them up, "I get that there's _'sexual tension'_ between you two and all but can you two please just cut it out?"

"What?!" Cole exclaimed.

"Sexual tension?! In his dreams," Nya rolled her eyes at the earth ninja. This just made Cole even more annoyed.

Ben sighed, "We aren't here to argue. Our main focus is saving Jay from that hell trap. Just set aside your differences for once in your lives, please."

Nya rolled her eyes and continued walking, Cole following shortly behind and Ben at the back. He wasn't even the slightest bit faced about Cole and Nya's past. He knew there was nothing between them. He actually found it quite amusing. But their love-hate relationship had to be put aside for now. There was more important things to be worrying about.

They slowly approached the house. It was a rather modern-looking home with wide windows and white doors. It looked even better than Cliff's house himself! The three stopped at the front door. Cole and Nya turned to face Ben.

"What?" Ben frowned.

"You should knock," Nya told him.

"You known him best after all," Cole added.

Ben folded his arms, "You two are just looking for excuses to not knock on that damn door. He's not going to open up the door holding a knife, okay?!"

"How do you know?" Nya asked.

"Look, I'll prove it," Ben told them.

Ben stepped forward and knocked loudly on the door. Even after a few minutes, there was no sign of movement coming from inside the house. Just as they were about to give up, there was a sound of locks on the other side of the door. The doorhandle soon turned and the door opened, revealing the very person they were looking for. And to make things better, he was holding... a KNIFE?!

The three jumped back, scared of what he would do.

The young boy smiled at the sight of them, "Hey guys! How are you doing?"

Cole looked down at the knife uneasily.

He quickly caught on and put the knife down on the table next to the door, "Sorry about that. I was cutting vegetables."

The three exchanged looks of confusion.

"Vegetables?" Cole questioned.

"I'm cooking my parents some dinner," He smiled.

"Oh... right," Nya breathed a sigh of relief.

"How are you all? Long time no speak, am I right?" He grinned.

"We're... good?" Cole frowned, confused in his weird, nice behaviour. 

"We're actually here to ask you some questions," Ben spoke up, catching the boy's attention.

Jake took one look at Ben and instantly beamed, "Hey Ben..."

Ben smiled back awkwardly, unsure how he was going to react.

"What did you guys want to ask me?" Jake wondered, crossing his arms.

"So a lot has happened... Cliff was murdered, Jay was accused of it and now we're investigating who actually killed Cliff so we can get Jay out," Ben explained.

"Jay's in prison?" Jake frowned.

They nodded.

"Wow. What did you wanna ask me then?" He wondered.

"Well, there was a robbery last Monday in a bakery store in the city and on the CCTV it showed the exact same guy robbing the store that killed Cliff Gordon. The store owned kept the gun that the robber had and so we took it to the police station to test it for any fingerprints. And... they found some," Cole told him.

Jake sighed, "And mine were there."

"Exactly," Nya stated.

"So you think that I was the robber and that I'm the one who killed Cliff?" Jake questioned.

The three nodded again.

Jake laughed a little, causing the others to frown.

"What's so funny?" Nya asked.

"I own that gun but I wasn't the one who committed the crimes," He replied.

"You weren't?" Ben frowned.

"No," He shook his head, "A few weeks back, this dude dressed in all black asked to borrow my gun for a couple hundred."

"He paid you to borrow the gun?" Cole frowned.

Jake nodded, "I didn't get to see what he looked like but if I had anything to tell you, I would."

"You gave a random stranger your gun?!" Nya exclaimed, "Who does that?!"

"A nice person," Jake folded his arms and scowled at the water ninja.

"More like a lunatic," Cole rolled his eyes.

"Sorry I couldn't help you guys out," Jake apologised.

Ben sighed, "Great. So now we're stuck in the middle of nowhere again. We've got no other information, we have no more evidence, we haven't got the slightest clue who the killer or robber is."

"This is a nightmare," Nya groaned.

"There has to be something that we missed somewhere," Cole frowned.

"I'm really sorry, guys," Jake sighed.

"Don't worry about it," Ben gave him a reassuring smile. Jake returned it.

"We'll catch you later," Cole told Jake as the small group walked down the path away from the house.

"Bye Ben!" Jake called out happily and watched as they walked out of sight.

After a few minutes of silence, someone finally decided to speak up.

"So has anyone got any ideas of what we can do now?" Cole asked.

"Nope," Ben shook his head.

"None," Nya sighed.

"We can't have reached a dead end," Cole groaned.

"There has to be some other way of proving that Jay isn't guilty," Nya complained.

"But what other way? What other way could there possibly be?" Ben questioned.

They thought for a moment but still nothing came into their minds.

"We have to think of something by Friday. Jay's court case is at midday and if we can't prove that he's not guilty then it'll be too late. He'll be sentenced to life in jail," Cole told them.

"Then we better think of something fast," Nya stated.


	16. Separate Ways pt1

"What are we supposed to do?" Kai asked, sitting opposite Lloyd on the sofa.

"There has to be another way to get Jay out," Nya spoke aloud.

"But what? We've tried everything," Lloyd replied.

"Well clearly not. There's got to be something that we're missing," Cole told them and they all nodded.

"Has anyone tried bribing the judge for the court case?" Ben joked.

Everyone shot Ben looks of anger and confusion. They already hated his presence, so why ruin it more? Ben sighed and looked down at the floor.

"We could always try and speak with the Police Commissioner again," Zane suggested.

"How will that help us?" Kai questioned, "It's not like he's going to listen to us anyway."

"But it's worth a try," Lloyd replied, folding his arms.

"I could return to the scene of the crime to check for any more clues that we missed," Nya wondered. 

Cole nodded, "There's gotta be something."

"Does anyone know if Jay even has a lawyer yet?" Lloyd questioned.

Nya raised her hand a little, catching everyone's attention, "Last time I saw Jay, he told me that someone had quickly offered to be his lawyer. I think her name was Hayley."

"At least we know he has _some_ hope right now," Lloyd replied, a little bit more at ease, "I think I'll pay her a visit and see what she's doing to back Jay up."

Kai nodded, "I'll come too."

Ben suddenly felt his phone buzz in his back pocket. He took out his phone, catching the attention of everyone else. He soon turned on the news that had been sent by government officials. 

_Breaking news!_

"What is it?" Cole questioned.

"Something's going down in that bakery again," Ben replied, putting his phone down.

"We better get down there then," Zane stated.

"But what about our other plans?" Kai frowned.

"They'll have to wait. We are still ninja, y'know?" Zane replied, standing up.

"How about we split up?" Lloyd suggested, "Nya and Cole will head back to the crime scene. Kai and Zane will go to the bakery and I will speak to the lawyer."

"Sounds like a plan," Kai nodded.

"Wu and I will speak with the Police Commissioner to see what we can do about shortening Jay's prison sentence at least," Misako told them. Wu nodded.

Cole glanced at Ben, who looked a little disheartened.

"You wanna tag along with Nya and I?" He wondered.

Ben shook his head, "I already have my plans."

The team soon split, everyone headed their own ways. Kai and Zane managed to get to their destination first. Everything seemed so quiet and normal in the city (not that it was ever normal). It was like nothing was even happening in the first place. They wandered down the streets, travelling at a quick jog.

"It seems way too quiet around here for something to be happening," Kai narrowed his eyes at the distance ahead of them.

"You think Ben was lying to us, don't you?" Zane asked between breaths.

Kai quickly glanced at his friend, "Of course I do. How can I trust him after everything he's done?"

"I know it hurts, Kai, but he sounds like he wants to change. You could at least give him a chance," Zane told him.

"He's had his chance, Zane. Besides, I thought you didn't want to trust him," Kai frowned.

"I don't. But it doesn't mean I don't believe in change."

After another few minutes, they slowed down as they reached the bakery. They weren't expecting anything to be there but when they finally were close enough to glance through the window, they were shocked at what they saw. 

"That's impossible!" Kai exclaimed. Zane nodded, his mouth shut from complete shock.

Inside, was a boy about 5 foot 4 with auburn hair and wearing a blue ninja suit. It was either a Jay look-a-like or Jay himself! Which was, of course, impossible. Unless Jay had broken out of prison...

They exchanged looks of confusion before bursting through the door. The bakery owner, Cairo, was cowering behind the front desk, trying to stay out of danger. The Jay look-a-like stood in the middle of the room, staring at Cairo as he tried to hide. The two ninja glanced around the room to see yet another Jay look-a-like on the other side of the room, pointing a knife in the face of an innocent customer. 

"How-" Kai began, not even able to finish his sentence.

"I'm so confused," Zane mumbled.

Before they could make a move towards the two Jays, another blue figure jumped down in front of them from the ceiling. This caused both of them to take a step back as they looked at the person closely. They were, too, a Jay look-a-like.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on here?!" Kai exclaimed, complete shock filling his body. 

Cairo quickly looked over at the door after hearing the sound of someone other than Jay. He seemed glad to see them.

"Ninja! Thank goodness you're here!" He smiled a little at their presence.

"Don't. Move," The Jay in front of them spoke sternly. 

Kai turned to Zane a little, "They sound just like him too."

"How is this even possible?" Zane frowned. The fire ninja shrugged his shoulders.

Before anyone took another step, a dark figure stepped out from the back room. On the opposite side of the store, they stood there and just stared at the ninja. 

Kai and Zane's eyes widened.

"That's him," Kai whispered, "That's the person who killed Cliff."

"We have to do something. We have to get help," Zane tried to reach into his pocket.

"If you even think about contacting anyone, everyone in this shop will die," The dark figure spoke. They had a deep voice and there was just something to spine-breaking about it. It made them all tremble in fear.

What were they going to do now? 

On the other side of the city, Wu and Misako had arrived at the police station. After waiting 20 minutes, they were finally able to speak with the Police Commissioner. He invited the two into his office. 

"What can I do for you two today?" He wondered.

"We want to speak with you about Jay," Wu told him, sitting down at the opposite side of the desk.

The P.C sighed and glanced down at the still not completed wooden ship he had been working on. 

"We know that his court case is on Friday and there isn't much we can do about it under such short notice but we-" Misako began.

"If you've come to ask for him to be let out, he won't. He's a criminal," The P.C cut in.

"We haven't come to ask that," Misako frowned.

"And Jay isn't a criminal. He's a ninja and he's my _student_. None of my students would hurt someone so much as to kill them. Especially the innocent," Wu snarled, "Jay would never intentionally kill someone unless he _really_ needed to."

"And what if he needed to kill Cliff, huh? What if he wanted revenge for what happened when he was an infant?" The P.C sat forward.

"Jay. Isn't. A. Murderer." Wu glared.

Misako placed a hand on the old man's shoulder to catch his attention. She then looked at the Police Commissioner.

"We came to ask if there was any way of shortening his sentence," She told him.

He laughed, "You think we can shorten his sentence? He's sentenced to life for _murder_. Besides, I don't make those decisions. The judge does. And the lawyer also needs to be able to prove that Jay doesn't deserve that many years. It's not my responsibility."

Wu sighed, "Then we better hope Lloyd can do whatever he can." 

Misako nodded, hoping her son was persuasive enough to get the lawyer to back Jay up with anything and everything.

In the other room, Lloyd had sat down with Hayley Gordon, Jay's lawyer. 

"What can I do for you today, Mr G?" Hayley smiled.

"I was hoping to know what you were planning on representing Jay with during the court case," Lloyd wondered.

Hayley glanced down at her hands, "I have everything planned out, don't worry."

"Can you possibly get years down?" Lloyd asked.

"You mean make his sentence shorter?" Hayley raised an eyebrow.

Lloyd nodded.

"I wish I had that power. I can persuade the judge but I don't have that type of choice. If I did, Jay would get no years," She replied.

Lloyd sighed, "We've tried everything to prove that Jay isn't guilty and we're just being lead on a giant goose chase."

Hayley thought for a moment, "Have you actually tried speaking to Jay himself?"

Lloyd shook his head, "We can't. We were told that none of the team can speak with Jay until he's let out. That's if he's ever let out..." 

"That's rather harsh," She frowned.

"Yeah well they think we're up to something. That or because we're ninja and we're sneaky, they think we're gonna break him out. Therefore, we aren't allowed near him," He explained.

"What about someone who isn't technically part of the team? Someone who isn't a ninja?" She suggested.

Lloyd thought for a second, "No way. It's not happening."

"Okay... well we're just going to have to see what happens at the court case then," Hayley stated.

Lloyd nodded, hoping someone else had found something out. Especially Cole and Nya...


	17. Separate Ways pt2

Ben entered the large building, expecting to be pounced on. Except he was okay. He wasn't given any weird looks at all. 

He knew it was risking being there. He knew that he wouldn't be wanted after what happened. He also knew that the other ninja would hate him for being there. But he needed to be. It was important. And it could determine the future.

"Hey officer, I'm here to see someone," Ben spoke to one of the prison guards by the front entrance.

"A visitor, huh?" They looked Ben up and down.

Ben nodded almost instantly, trying not to act suspicious.

"Who?" They wondered.

Ben paused before saying the name, "Jay Walker."

"I can't let you in. The ninja are not allowed to see him," They spoke sternly.

"I'm not a ninja," Ben stated calmly.

The officer thought for a second before turning to another officer and whispering something to him. Ben couldn't quite hear them. It was rather surprising that the other officer understood what they had said since they were so quiet. Ben raised an eyebrow at them.

The other officer opened the gate behind and stepped through it. Neither of them let Ben through though.

"We have to make sure that the prisoner wants to see you. We don't want any problems," The officer spoke proudly.

Ben nodded.

_Great. Now I'm definitely not going to get in._

After waiting five minutes in silence and being completely bored, the officer finally returned. He whispered to the first officer and they both stepped aside. 

"Come with me," The officer spoke, opening the gate. Ben frowned and stepped towards the officer. 

The first officer looked at Ben suspiciously as he walked past. Ben followed him down the corridor and past many _many_ cells. It made him feel rather guilty because some people weren't even supposed to be locked up. Ben was.

At the end of the corridor was a small room. The was a gate behind the door. The officer that was guarding the gate opened it and let Ben through. Inside the room were different prisoners and criminals meeting with their family/friends. Ben had checked earlier that day when the visiting hours were. 

He glanced across the room to see a small table in the corner where a person in an orange shirt and joggers were sat. They were looking down at the table, not paying attention to anything that was happening in the room. His hair was auburn. Nothing had changed.

Ben took a deep breath before smiling.

"Well, well, well," Ben spoke, standing at the foot of the table, "Look how the tables have turned."

The person glanced up, a look of disgust on their face.

"Ben."

"Jay," Ben smirked, "May I sit?"

"That's why you're here, isn't it?" Jay replied sternly.

Ben sat down in the plastic blue chair opposite him. Jay sat with his arms crossed. Seeing Ben hurt him. It hurt him a lot.

"Why are you here? To laugh at me?" Jay snarled.

"The opposite, actually," Ben responded.

Jay frowned, "You aren't breaking me out, Ben. Don't even try it."

"I'm not here for that. I'm done with breaking the law. You of all people should know that," Ben rolled his eyes.

Jay looked at the floor, refusing to look him in the eyes. Even being in the same room with him made him feel sick. Everything Ben had done... everything that had happened... he was in that hell house because of Ben. Because Ben gave him the file. And now his life could be ruined forever.

"What do you want with my family?" Jay narrowed his eyes, "To trick them? Turn them against me? Especially Cole... you know he's vulnerable."

"He's not vulnerable. And I don't want to _trick_ your family," Ben rolled his eyes again. 

"Well what ever you're doing, stay away from my brother," Jay told him sternly.

"Why should I?" Ben frowned.

"Because I know what you're up to," Jay sat forward, "And I'm not falling for it anymore."

Ben laughed a little, "The only thing I want is another chance. And if you didn't know, I'm helping Nya and Cole with solving the investigation. Y'know.... the one to try and get you out of here."

"You?" Jay frowned, "Pfft."

"Jay, you don't deserve to be shut up in here. We all know that," Ben explained, "And even though it's none of your business, yes, I'm dating Cole and I actually really like him. I'm sick of playing games. Especially on you guys."

Jay narrowed his eyes at Ben, unsure whether to believe him or not.

"I'll believe it when I see it."

Ben sighed. Earning Jay's trust was going to be hard; harder than he hoped.

"Why did you come alone anyway? I doubt the team would've let you come here," Jay stated cursiously.

"They don't know I'm here. And, if you remember, the ninja aren't allowed to visit you. They're sneaky. Who knows if they'll try break you out or not," Ben responded, "They're all busy anyway."

"Doing what?" Jay frowned.

"Doing their part to solve the investigation. Nya and Cole have returned to the scene of the crime to look for more clues, Lloyd's speaking with your lawyer, Misako and Wu are with the Police Commissioner and Zane and Kai are doing ninja duties. Because, you know, you're still ninja," Ben explained.

"So why aren't you doing something then if you really want to earn their trust?" Jay wondered.

"I am doing my part. That's why I'm here," Ben smiled.

"Coming to torture me is your way of doing stuff around here, isn't it?" Jay rolled his eyes.

"I came to give you advice," Ben said.

"About what?" Jay questioned.

"The court case."

"What about it?" Jay frowned.

"What were you thinking of pleading?" Ben asked, hoping for one answer in particular.

"Not guilty, obviously," Jay replied.

Ben sighed, "Look, I know it sounds crazy but I need you to plead _guilty_."

"ARE YOU-" Jay paused, lowering his voice, "-crazy?! I'm not pleading guilty!"

"Just hear me out," Ben began, feeling the wrath of the lightning ninja.

"No," Jay responded angrily, "You only want me to plead guilty so I get locked up. You just want any excuse to get me out of your way. I know what you're up to Ben and-"

"Let me explain!" Ben cut in causing Jay to sit back in his chair, curious of what story he'll make up this time.

"The team and I have tried everything to prove that you aren't guilty and it's just turned into a wild goose chase. With the way things are going at the moment, we won't find any evidence. If you plead not guilty, the judge will just see that you're lying. They'll think you did it on purpose. They'll think you can't take responsibility for your own actions; therefore leading to more time stuck in here," Ben began.

"Your point is?" Jay raised an eyebrow.

"If you plead guilty, then in their eyes, you're being honest. They _reward_ honesty. It shows that you didn't mean to do it. It shows that you can take responsibility even if you haven't done it. That could lead to less time," Ben explained.

"So you want me to _lie?"_ Jay questioned.

Ben shrugged his shoulders, "I'm not telling you to. That's your decision. But I've seen and been part of many court cases before. I know exactly how it works. And if we can't get any evidence by Friday, you're screwed Jay. You'll be locked up in here for life. Whatever buys you at least a few years will be worth every lie. You have to trust me here, Jay." 

Jay thought for a moment, breaking eye contact with the boy sat opposite him. 

What Ben was saying sounded legit. Jay had seen many crime movies and the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Judges didn't like to be lied to but when it was for the right reasons, it was definitely worth it. But he still didn't know if he could trust Ben...

"It's not my decision to make as its not my life at stake here but you have to make the right decision for _you_. If you don't think lying is right, then that's fine. Don't lie. But it could cost you. I'm just trying to help you out," Ben continued.

"But what if you get evidence and I'm not told about it? They could _really_ lock me up without a second thought," Jay wondered.

"Then you better hope I can get to you if we find any evidence before the trial," Ben replied.

Jay continued to think to himself for a moment. 

Ben felt his phone buzz in his pocket, assuming it was Cole or another member of the team.

"I better go," Ben told Jay.

"Before you do," Jay spoke up, sitting up straight in the chair.

Ben frowned, curious of what Jay was going to say.

Jay reached into his pocket and pulled something out. He looked at the object in his hand and sighed. Jay held his hand out, the object laying flat on his palm. 

"What is it?" Ben frowned.

Jay smiled at it before responding, "My grandpa's pocket watch."

Ben looked down at it in awe. It was made of pure gold and it sparkled in the light.

"I want you to look after it until I get out," Jay stated.

Ben glanced up with a frown, "Me?"

Jay nodded, "The others wouldn't be able to take care of it. This pocket watch is one of the only things I have to remember my grandpa."

"And you're trusting _me_ to look after it?" Ben questioned.

"It's been passed down through generations to the protector of the family. It was given to me on my birthday. But since I'm stuck in here for who knows how long... I want you to keep hold of it. I want _you_ to protect my family and friends whilst I'm gone," Jay explained.

Ben hesitated, "But I thought you couldn't trust me."

"This is like a trial I suppose," Jay shrugged his shoulders, "If I keep it in here, it'll get stolen."

Ben glanced down at it again and thought for a moment. Jay was trusting him to take care of his most prized possession. _Him_ of all people. 

The young teen slowly took the pocket watch from out of Jay's hand and held it in his own.

"I'll protect it with my life. I'll protect _everyone_ with my life," Ben told him.

Jay smiled at him a little before sitting back in his chair.

Ben returned the smile and got up. He didn't know if he could get Jay out of there any sooner but at least he knew that he could do something in return for everything he had done. He _really_ needed to prove himself. Now was finally his chance.

Ben turned around to leave.

"Ben," Jay called out to him.

Ben quickly turned around, hoping he wasn't going to say something horrible to him.

Jay paused before saying, "Look after Cole for me."

Ben smiled and nodded, "Of course."

Jay watched as Ben walked through the gate, out the door, and down the long corridor. He didn't know when he would get out. But at least he knew his pocket watch was in safe hands.


	18. Message

Hours had passed. The team hadn't heard from each other all day and they were almost all done with what they were doing. Cole, Nya, Wu, Misako and Lloyd had arrived back at the Bounty, discussing what could have been done better. 

"So there was absolutely nothing?" Lloyd questioned.

Cole and Nya shook their heads in unison.

"We looked everywhere," Cole sighed, "and nothing."

"And even if there was something else, someone could've taken it as they walked past. It's not even classed as a crime scene anymore," Nya explained.

"Well why not? A murder happened there," Wu pointed out.

"Because they believe they've already caught the culprit. If they think Jay did it, there's no need for the crime scene anymore. It's just another pointless place in Ninjago," Cole told him.

"That's ridiculous. They obviously didn't search the area very well if you found that ID card the other day," Misako responded.

"No wonder half the crimes in this city don't get solved," Nya muttered under her breath.

There was a moment of silence before the green ninja sighed.

"I tried to speak with Hayley," He spoke out.

"How did it go?" Nya asked.

"She said she can't bring down the amount of years he's stuck in Kryptarium but she'll do her best to prove Jay isn't guilty," Lloyd replied.

"We're being led on a giant goose chase," Cole grunted, "If we can't prove Jay's not guilty, then we've lost him forever."

"We'll get him out, I'm sure of it," Lloyd placed a hand on the earth ninja's shoulder, comforting him.

No matter what they tried, it always seemed to fail. Everything backfired on them and now they were about to lose their leader. It was hopeless. But they had to keep trying.

"I wonder how Kai and Zane are doing," Nya sighed.

Just as Nya finished her sentence, the door opened. Stepping inside and closing the door behind him, was Ben.

"Hey Ben," Cole greeted him from the other side of the room.

Ben smiled at his love, "what up?"

"Where have _you_ been then?" Nya folded her arms and raised an eyebrow at him.

"None of your _business_ ," Ben replied sarcastically.

Nya turned to Cole with a suspicious look on her face.

"Something tells me he did something he wasn't supposed to," Nya whispered.

"You don't know that," Cole whispered back.

"Come on," Nya stood up and wandered over to her ex, "If you want us to trust you, tell us where you were."

"And I already told you," Ben folded his arms, "That's none of your business."

"Since we're roommates now, I think it is my business," Nya responded sternly.

"So now I'm not allowed privacy?" Ben frowned.

"Why should we trust you to have privacy? You could go and summon some other demon against us," Nya replied.

"Guys," Cole tried to cut in.

"Well if you're so _intrigued_ to know where I've been all day, I was at the graveyard. Visiting my, _y'know_ , dead parents," He snapped.

Nya fell silent, unable to speak.

"Because, if you haven't forgotten, I was an orphan for half my life," Ben added angrily.

Nya looked down at the floor awkwardly, wishing she hadn't said anything in the first place. The whole room went silent. The thing was... _everyone_ had forgotten Ben was an orphan. _Everyone_ had forgotten the pain he went through with losing his parents.

Ben glanced around at everyone in the room before storming off. 

Cole glared at Nya, "Happy now?" 

Ben entered Cole's room and closed the door behind him. Yes he lied, but he _did_ miss his parents. He missed them more than anything right now. Ben stood at the window looking down at the busy city. Knowing he was alone, he took Jay's pocket watch out of his jacket pocket. He glanced down at it in awe. 

Ben was jealous that Jay had something to remind him of his family. He had heirlooms. What did Ben have? Nothing but memories. The harsh memories of his parents beating him even when they came up with excuses to make Ben think it was okay. The harsh memories of him still loving them even after everything they did. The harsh memories of them dying right in front of his eyes. It hurt so much that it felt as if a tonne of bricks had been dropped directly on his heart. It was painful.

The sound of the door handle turning made Ben panic slightly. He quickly put the pocket watch back in his pocket and turned to see who was at the door. The door opened fully, revealing his boyfriend looking rather concerned.

"You okay?" Cole asked.

Ben waited a moment before nodding his head.

"You wanna talk about it?" He questioned in a soft voice.

Ben shook his head and turned back to face the window. He heard the door close and footsteps approach him from behind. Within seconds, Cole had joined in with looking out the window.

"You never told me what happened to them," Cole spoke quietly.

"I don't want to talk about it," Ben repeated, no emotion on his face.

"Sorry," Cole sighed.

They stood in silence for a few minutes. It was so quiet that they could hear the faint sound of cars zooming past in the city below them.

"I just want you to know that," Cole paused, "You aren't the only one who lost your family."

Ben glanced at his boyfriend, his eyebrows creased.

"I lost my mom when I was young. She was like my best friend. My dad and I struggled and he changed. He wanted to me be just like him. He wanted me to go to dance school and train to be a dancer like him. But instead I became a ninja behind his back because I knew it would upset him that I didn't follow in his footsteps," Cole explained.

"Does he know now?" Ben wondered.

"Of course. It took him some getting used to but he was proud of me in the end. And now we have a great relationship. But it wasn't always easy," Cole gave him a smile of reassurance.

Ben glanced back out the window, "Do you ever think about your mom?"

"All the time. Sometimes I dream of her being here with me. Sometimes its like I can hear her heartbeat. It's been hard for me but things get better. Like how I became part of this team and met the best guys in my life. Master Wu took me in as his student and taught me almost everything I know about being a ninja. And of course I met Jay, who has helped me through some of the toughest points in my life," Cole explained.

"Sounds like you had it rough," Ben stated.

"Everyone has it rough at some point during their existence, you just have to find someone to help you through it," He responded.

Ben sighed, "I never had someone. Even my parents... they were never there for me. They were the people who _caused_ my depression. And then I had to go into and orphanage where I had no friends and all I wanted to do was hurt myself."

Cole listened to what Ben was saying carefully. He didn't know all that much about his boyfriend and for him to finally be opening up was huge. He was willing to be there for him no matter what.

"That's why I got kicked out. They found out I was cutting myself and didn't want me to be a bad influence on the younger orphans. So they got rid of me," Ben continued.

Cole's eyebrows creased with worry, "I had no idea you were treated that way, Ben. You should've said something."

"With the way I've treated people ever since meeting you and Jay, I haven't been the best person. I felt that if I had brought it up then you guys would think I'm only coming up with excuses. All I've ever wanted was for someone to care about me. I've always wanted friends and I messed everything up. But you guys are so nice and caring and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to regain their trust," Ben explained.

Cole smiled at his boyfriend and gently wrapped his arms around him, resting his head on the slightly shorter boy's shoulder.

"Just know that I forgive you, okay? I don't believe that you're a bad person, Ben. And I know that the others will learn to trust you soon enough, okay? I'll make sure they do. If you ever need to talk, I'm here. I love you," Cole told him.

Ben hugged him back, beaming, "I love you more, Cole."

The two boys stayed there hugging for a few minutes before Ben sighed and pulled away.

"I need to tell you something," Ben looked him in the eye.

"What is it?" Cole frowned.

"I didn't go to the graveyard today," Ben glanced at the floor.

Cole thought for a moment, "then where _did_ you go?"

Ben took a deep breath before saying, "I went to see Jay."

Cole opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. He stepped back a little, "You... what?"

"I only went to give him advice about the court case," Ben replied almost instantly.

Cole frowned, a little suspicious, "What _advice_?"

"I told him he should plead guilty," Ben spoke quietly.

"YOU SAID WHAT?!" Cole yelled, "WHY THE HECK WOULD YOU TELL HIM TO DO THAT?!"

"Just hear me out-" Ben tried to speak up.

"I KNEW I COULDN'T TRUST YOU. YOU'RE TRYING TO GET RID OF HIM COMPLETELY," Cole shouted, turning away from him.

Ben grabbed Cole's arm and pulled him back towards him, "Let me explain."

"What could you possibly say that will make this any better?!" Cole exclaimed.

For the next ten minutes, Ben told Cole exactly what he had told Jay. From now on, he didn't want any secrets to be kept from him. He just hoped that Cole could trust him with this. It made sense.

Cole thought about it for a moment.

"I'm not making the choice for him and I'm not _telling_ him he has to plead guilty, it was just advice. It's up to him," Ben told him.

Cole sighed and placed his hands on Ben's shoulders, "I know you're just trying to help out, Ben."

"So you believe me?" Ben wondered.

"Of course, but Jay's smart. He knows what he's doing. If he pleads not guilty, he will make sure he's out of that place ASAP," Cole replied.

Ben sighed and nodded, "I should've told you that I was going to see him."

Cole shook his head, "I would've like a heads up, yes, but I'm glad someone visited at least. How is he?"

"He's good. Seems a bit bored to be honest, "Ben joked.

"And how did he react to _us_?" Cole asked nervously.

"At first he didn't like it but then..." He paused and smiled, "I think he approves now."

Cole smiled. 

Just as they almost got lost in each other's eyes, there was a shout come from the main room. They quickly left the room and down the corridor.

"What's going on?" Cole asked worriedly.

The four were sat around the kitchen table looking at something on Lloyd's phone. It looked like a video. Ben and Cole came up behind them.

"What is it?" Ben wondered.

"It's an anonymous video," Lloyd stated before pressing play on the video.

On screen was the exact person they had been looking for. The dark figured person who had robbed the bakery and killed Cliff Gordon. The team gasped.

"Hello ninja," They stated with a deep voice.

"I promise you that's not me this time," Cole spoke up, a concerned tone of voice.

"It has come to my attention that you've been trying to figure out my identity. Well, I can promise you that you are no where near close to finding out," They spoke, "And I see you have fallen right into all of my traps. You have nowhere to go now. Especially now that I have something precious to you."

The camera angle was changed so that the video was now focused on two people tied up on the floor. There were wrapped up in chains and their mouths were covered in strong tape. The team gasped at the sight.

"I have your friends."

Nya shivered at the sight of seeing her brother struggle to get out. It was painful to watch. Ben placed a hand on her shoulder for support, which she didn't turn down. 

"Kai!" Nya exclaimed.

"Zane," Lloyd spoke worriedly.

"Meet me at the storage warehouse on the outskirts of Blackwood Forest at midnight. And if you even think about bringing weapons or backup, you can say goodbye to your friends," They paused, "permanently."

The team glanced at each other with worried expressions on their faces. 

"Don't be late."

The video stopped and Lloyd placed his phone on the table, the room completely silent. After a few minutes, someone finally spoke up.

"What do we do?" Nya asked.

"Well we have to do what he says," Ben replied.

"What?! What if he tries to kill us?!" Lloyd exclaimed.

"You're trained to fight people who want to kill you, Lloyd," Wu pointed out.

"But he's dangerous," Lloyd sighed.

"We don't even know if it's a guy," Cole stated.

"Just think, if we do anything they told us not to do, they'll _kill_ both Kai and Zane and I think we need all the people we can get right now," Ben spoke up, "unless you want to lose those two, I suggest we do what they say."

The team thought about it for a moment.

"Looks like we're having a late night..." Lloyd sighed in defeat.


	19. Blackwood

The ninja team, including Ben, wandered into Blackwood Forest. They hadn't been there in years. Cole remembered it like the back of his hand. He had spent months there after Zane made his sacrifice. Lloyd, too, remembered it.

The forest was empty and it was dark. It was also rather cold, causing the team to shiver a little. The only sounds they could hear were from wildlife surrounding the area. They had seen a few deer here and there but nothing more. Nobody knew but Ben hated forests. They were one of his worst nightmares.

Ben looked around him quickly, keeping a close eye on his surroundings.

"Did the video say where abouts we had to meet?" Nya asked Lloyd quietly.

The green ninja shook his head, "I guess we're just going to have to find out."

The team were silent for the next few minutes. Sometimes they would step on twigs and Ben would jump. Cole looked at his boyfriend with a look of uncertainty.

"Are you okay? You seem rather jumpy," Cole whispered.

"I don't like forests," Ben responded quietly.

"You're afraid of some trees?" Nya raised an eyebrow.

"Not trees... I'm scared of what could be _in_ forests," Ben murmured, stilling looking around.

"Dude," Cole caught his attention, "We're ninja. If a mutant snake decides to jump on you, we'll kill that thing in two seconds flat."

Ben took a deep breath and looked at the floor as they continued walking. It brought back some bad memories of his past and he felt really unsafe. But he knew that as long as he stayed with the ninja, there would be no trouble.

"Just remember to stick together, okay?" Lloyd told them.

After another few moments, there was a sound of a whoosh come from behind them. They all stopped dead in their tracks, desperately looking at their surroundings.

"What was that?" Ben asked with a scared tone of voice.

"I'm sure it was nothing," Nya replied, "Maybe just a bird."

"I'm pretty sure birds don't come out at night," Ben whispered.

"A bat then," Nya continued walking, followed by Lloyd.

Cole grabbed Ben's wrist, "Don't worry about it."

Ben nodded and the two caught up with the others.

They continued to hear the whooshing, causing Ben to be extremely jumpy. Twigs were crackling but Ben just hoped that it came from Lloyd's large feet.

After another 20 minutes of walking, they decided to stop and look at their surroundings. They were so deep into the forest that they didn't even know the way back. They just hoped they could get Kai and Zane and get out of there before someone got hurt.

"Okay, which way do we go now?" Lloyd asked his teammates.

Nya and Cole shrugged, looking at the endless amount of trees around them.

"Don't ask me, Ben's the one with the good sense of direction," Cole stated, crossing his arms.

"Alright then, Ben, which way do we-" Lloyd paused, frowning.

The team glanced around them, looks of concern plastered across their faces.

"Ben?" Cole questioned.

"Where is he?" Lloyd wondered.

"Ben?!" Cole shouted, worried about his boyfriend.

Nya rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "I wouldn't be surprised if he ditched us."

Cole glared at the water ninja for a few moments before looking around and behind the trees around them.

"Maybe he's pranking us," Lloyd suggested.

"Or maybe he's plotting against us. Maybe he's joined forces with evil again," Nya told them, watching as they frantically looked around.

"Nya, just shut up for once in your gosh darn life," Cole snapped.

"How can you even trust that guy? It's not like he's physically been around when that dark figured guy is causing trouble, is it?" She questioned.

"It's not him," Cole glared.

"Guys, let's just focus on finding Ben," Lloyd told them, getting sick of their arguments.

Nya still stood there, certain that he had turned against them again.

After a few minutes, they heard a loud evil laugh come from the distance. They couldn't place their finger on which direction it had come from but it made them nervous.

"Was that you?" Nya asked Cole worriedly.

Cole shook his head, "Lloyd?"

"Wasn't me," Lloyd responded.

The laugh was heard again. The team backed up into a small circle, their backs facing each other. They stood in fighting stance, ready to take down whoever it was.

"Ben?" Cole asked loudly, hoping for an answer.

"I've taken him," The deep voice spoke.

"Ironic, don't ya think?" Nya raised her eyebrows at the earth ninja.

Cole rolled his eyes, listening for the voice to speak again.

"I see you came alone," They pointed out.

"Just like you asked," Nya replied.

"Now give us back our friends," Lloyd demanded.

They laughed, "You think it's going to be that easy?"

"We won't hesitate to use our Spinjitzu on you," Cole warned.

"I'd like to see you try," They replied.

The team stayed quiet for a moment.

"Cole!" There was a shout come from the distance and it sounded exactly like...

"Ben?!" Cole exclaimed, his eyebrows creased.

"Don't fall for it," Nya frantically looked around at the distance.

Another moment passed... complete silence...

"Guys..." Lloyd spoke quietly, "Look."

The two glanced at where Lloyd was looking. In the distance, between the trees was a dark figure. It was dark so they couldn't make out who it was. Their hearts were pounding.

"Who are you?" Lloyd asked, raising his voice.

The person stood still, not saying anything.

The moonlight shone through the gaps in the trees, shining directly on the person. It wasn't who they thought it was...

"Ben!" The three exclaimed.

But he wasn't himself... his face was darker, his clothes had red stains all over and there was blood dripping from his nose.

"Ben?" Cole spoke quietly.

"I knew we couldn't trust him!" Nya shouted.

"Your dear friend here just did me a huge favour," The voice spoke.

The team exchanged looks of confusion.

"It's not him?" Nya frowned.

"I told you!" Cole whisper-shouted.

"You may have come here but I never promised anything..." The voice sounded smug.

"What do you mean?" Nya questioned.

"Ben over here just turned against you again and did my job for me," They laughed, "And you didn't even get to say goodbye to them."

Lloyd narrowed his eyes at Ben, "The blood stains..."

Nya's eyes widened, "Kai..."

"Zane," Cole's voice was shaky.

"What did you do to them?!" Lloyd yelled, angry and worried about what they had done.

" _I_ didn't do anything. Ben however..." They replied.

The three turned to look at Ben, who was now smirking.

"I knew he was going to do this. I warned you guys and you didn't listen to me!" Nya shouted.

Cole shook his head, his eyes filling with tears, "It doesn't make sense..."

"Don't you see what you let into our lives?! People don't change, Cole!" Nya shouted.

Cole frowned, "But..."

"He can't be trusted," Lloyd shook his head in disgust.

Cole felt his heart _break._ The person he loved _lied_ to him and it hurt more than anything in the world. After everything he told him... after everything he did for him... it wasn't worth it. Ben was trying to get close to them to only rip them apart _again_. It was the same old Ben. Cole _trusted_ him and he _helped_ him and to now find out that he was just using him... it hurt... it hurt like he had just been hit with a train. His heart was heavy and it ached. He tried his best to hide back his tears.

"Well we're stronger now, so we can take both of you down!" Lloyd exclaimed.

They laughed, "You're three members short, remember? And you're missing your all important leader. What are you going to do to hurt me? You don't even know who I am."

"We've been hurt too many times, we're willing to fight for our lives," Nya stood strong.

"Until you see the dead bodies of your friends," They replied.

Nya felt her heart sink into her stomach. The thought of her brother being dead scared her. It _terrified_ her. He was the only family she had left. Lloyd tried to stay as strong as possible. Cole was already breaking.

"Kill them too," The voice demanded.

The three quickly looked at where Ben was in terror. A large smirk formed on his face as he quickly ran at them.

"Watch out!" Lloyd exclaimed. The team darted three different ways, Ben running between them. He stopped in the middle of them, smirking at them all. He had bright purple eyes and black eyeshadow around his eyes. Cole frowned.

"Lloyd, look out!" Nya shouted, catching everyone's attention.

Ben threw himself at Lloyd, trying to use a knife to stab him in the back. Lloyd tried his best to keep Ben back. Nya came up behind and grabbed Ben's arm, pulling his backwards. Cole rushed to protect his friends, using his Spinjitzu to knock Ben into a tree. He quickly got back up and picked his next target. Running at Nya, he was hit with her water and was thrown at the dirty ground. The team of three backed up, standing stronger in front of him. Ben sat up and smirked at them.

"Purple eyes?" Lloyd questioned.

"He's being controlled!" Cole gasped.

"But how?!" Nya exclaimed.

Ben sprinted at them, his hand with the knife in the air.

"Get the knife!" Cole shouted at his teammates.

They continued to fight him and fend him off, trying their best not to get hurt. After another few moments, Cole and Nya managed to distract him and Lloyd grabbed the knife.

Ben kicked Lloyd in the stomach, dropping the knife. Ben picked it back up and glared at the two remaining.

"Lloyd!" Cole and Nya exclaimed in unison.

"Go help Lloyd, I'll deal with him," Cole told Nya. She nodded and rushed over to help Lloyd, who was in a significant amount of pain.

Ben smirked at Cole, causing Cole to gulp.

"Ben, listen to me," Cole spoke calmly.

"You will pay for what you've done," Ben said, his voice very demonic and deep.

Nya and Lloyd watched from a distance, ready to back him up.

"You should be dead!" Ben shouted at Cole.

"This isn't you," Cole told him, holding his hands up in a surrender motion.

"This is the real me," Ben smirked.

"No," Cole shook his head, "I know the real you and the real you doesn't want to hurt anyone."

"I want to hurt EVERYONE," Ben yelled angrily.

"No you don't! You told me! You told me about your past with your parents! About how your parents beat you, and how you made no friends! You're scared and worried. You want to make friends and you want people to trust you! I get it! You want to help people, I know! I know the real you!" Cole exclaimed.

Nya and Lloyd exchanged looks of worry. All this time, they thought Ben was only trying to hurt them but he really only wanted to make friends. Maybe they had been wrong about him...

"That's not the real me," Ben snarled.

"Yes it is. The real Ben wouldn't hurt someone he loves," Cole replied.

"I don't love you! I never did and I never will!" Ben shouted.

"The real Ben would say otherwise," Cole stated, "Fight the evil, Ben!"

"I _am_ evil. I have always been evil," Ben glared.

"I know there's good in you! I've seen it," Cole tried his best to get Ben back.

"Kill him, Ben!" The voice shouted, getting angrier and angrier.

Cole braced himself for the worst. He knew what was going to happen and he didn't like it.

"Your past is controlling you, Ben, and it's stopping you from being _you_. You aren't your parents and you aren't your enemies. No one else may not be able to see it but I do. I know the real you and I'm in love with him," Cole panicked.

Ben's eyes quickly flashed back to its original green colour, then purple, then green. Ben felt weaker and weaker with every breath. The makeup was beginning to disappear as the knife fell to the floor with a _clang_. Ben's eyes remained green, the blood still dripping from his nose. He looked at Cole with fear in his eyes. Cole's heart raced.

Within seconds, Ben fell to the floor, so weak that he could barely move. His eyes shut tight.

"BEN!" Cole shouted, rushing to him.

"C-Cole..." Ben struggled to speak, his voice was quiet and weak.

"You're okay, you're gonna be okay," Cole told him, panicking a little.

"I-I-I-" He continued.

"Don't talk, save your breath," Cole said, wiping a tear from his boyfriend's cheek.

"I'm s-sorry," Ben told him.

"You have no reason to be sorry," Cole replied.

"I've l-loved you since the beginning..." Ben stuttered, "E-Ever since we met... but I was s-scared..."

Cole's heart shattered into a million pieces, "I love you more than anything, Ben."

Ben stayed quiet, trying his best to keep his eyes open. His eyelids were becoming too heavy. With every ounce of strength left in his body, Ben moved his hand slowly to reach into his back jean pocket. Cole was confused, tears streaming down his face. Painfully, Ben pulled something out and took Cole's hand into his own. Cole leaned forward and gently kissed Ben on the forehead for a few moments. He pulled him closer to him. Ben let go of Cole's hand and opened it up for him. He gently placed something in the palm of his hand and smiled.

"G-give that to J-Jay," Ben told him.

Cole looked at it, confused of what it was. He'd never seen it before in his life. He then glanced down at Ben, who's eyes were closing even more.

"I love you Cole," Ben murmured before his eyes closed fully. His arms slowly dropped to his side.

"Ben?" Cole's eyes widened, his heart racing.

Lloyd and Nya watched as Cole pulled Ben's lifeless body up to his chest. They felt awful. They judged him all this time and for him to die alone, it sucked. He really wanted to change. Cole sobbed, holding on tight to Ben. It was like his entire world had ended.

"Hey guys," A familiar male voice spoke from behind. Cole glanced up as well as Lloyd and Nya.

"Kai?!" Nya exclaimed, a smile on her face.

"Zane!" Lloyd beamed.

Ben hadn't killed them after all. It was all part of the plan. The evil, twisted plan.

"We caught this guy for you," Kai said.

Both Zane and Kai were holding onto the dark figured person with all their might. They were completely covered up so their identity remained a secret. Nya breathed a sigh of relief.

Cole glanced back down at his peaceful boyfriend.

"What's going on?" Zane questioned.

They all directed their attention to the broken Cole holding Ben's dead body. Kai and Zane exchanged looks of worry. Nya looked at them with a look as if to say, 'he's gone'.

After all this time of wishing he was dead, Kai didn't think it would actually happen. He hated to admit it but it did hurt him. Him and Ben used to be so close and then everything happened and they were the worst of enemies. Ben wanted to regain their trust so he could have friends and they rejected him like a lost puppy. Kai felt _terrible_.

Everyone finally got what they wanted... Ben was dead.

They all closed their eyes in respect. Suddenly there was a bright orange light that lit up the entire forest surrounding them. They all glanced over at where Cole was holding Ben to see that Ben was being lifted into the air by a magical force. Everyone glanced at each other in confusion. Cole watched as his boyfriend's dead body was being lifted into the air.

"Ben?" Cole muttered.

"What's happening?" Nya questioned.

An orange fiery glow was around him in a fox-like shape. Ben's eyes opened slowly, they were a bright orange. The sight of it was beautiful.

Zane gasped, "He's a Kitsune!"

"A what?" Kai frowned.

"A kitsune, a nine-tailed fox spirit. It originates from Japanese mythology. Kitsune is Japanese for the word fox," Zane smiled.

Ben's feet slowly touched the ground, one at a time. His eyes returned back to their normal shade of green and the orange glow around him disappeared.

"Ben?" Cole questioned, a small smile forming on his face.

Ben glanced down at his boyfriend, who was sat on the floor.

"Cole!" Ben beamed.

Cole quickly jumped up and wrapped his arms around Ben. They hugged as tight as possible.

"Ugh," The black figured person grunted.

The team were happy to have Ben back. They had really misjudged him.

"I think its about time we unmask this mysterious criminal," Nya folded her arms, a smirk on her face.

"Who wants to do the honours?" Zane asked.

Lloyd and Ben looked at each other and nodded.

"I think it's only right that you two do it," Lloyd told Nya and Cole.

Nya and Cole exchanged a look of excitement and stepped towards the murderer. After many _many_ days of searching and investigating, they were finally about to find out who framed Jay.

They both placed a hand on the black hood and counted down from three.

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

They pulled the hood off and stepped back. They gasped.

"Darien?!"


	20. Home

The police station door swung open. It was just turning dawn and the team marched into the station with Darien. No explanation. Nothing. They wanted him to be locked up as soon as possible. The little they knew, the better.

There was no one around. A few police officers were darted around inside and the Police Commissioner was sat at the main desk almost half asleep and was clicking away at the computer.

"Oi, Commissioner," Cole shouted, catching the old man's attention.

The P.C glanced over at the group that were heading up the stairs and towards the desk. He frowned at the tied up individual who looked rather miserable.

"Ninja," The Police Commissioner greeted them with a small nod. They stopped at the desk opposite him.

"You can let Jay out now," Nya told him, "We've got the real criminal."

The Police Commissioner looked Darien up and down quickly before frowning.

"It's dawn," He pointed out.

"It's a long story," Kai replied.

The P.C glanced around the room and clicked his fingers, grabbing the attention of a few officers.

"Get this guy to the interview room," He ordered.

A couple officers came and handcuffed Darien, taking him down the corridor.

"We'll have to interview each of you, is that okay?" He asked.

They all nodded and proceeded to sit down in the empty chairs in the room, awaiting their interviews.

It was really quiet and boring. They waited hours and the interviews lasted at least 30 minutes to an hour long each. Nya was almost asleep, Ben had fallen asleep on Cole's shoulder and the rest of the team quietly chatted. After everyone had been interviewed, the Police Commissioner asked to speak with them in his office.

"Ben," Cole whispered, tapping his boyfriend on the shoulder.

Ben grunted a little, hoping to stay asleep. Nya watched them in awe.

"Ben, come on, wake up," Cole giggled.

"Nooooo," Ben groaned.

"We gotta speak to the Commissioner," Cole told him.

"Right now?" He questioned.

"Mmhmm," Cole laughed.

"Fiiiiine," Ben stretched his arms and yawned.

The team wandered into the P.C's office and closed the door. He was sat at his desk.

"Darien is on his way to Kryptarium right now and he should be there within a few hours. When we interviewed him, he owned up to everything and gave us an explanation that he wishes to be kept secret. He has been sentenced to life in jail and has asked to receive no visitors," He explained.

"Kinda sketchy if you ask me," Kai folded his arms.

"I'm sure he would just like some privacy, Kai," Zane told him.

"We're bringing Jay back in a few hours too. He will be coming on the bus back. We'll get him in from the back, give him his possessions back and let him free, okay?" The P.C said with a smile.

"So soon?" Cole grinned.

He nodded.

"I can't wait!" Nya beamed.

"Finally, the team will be back together," Lloyd smiled.

The team exchanged looks of happiness whilst Kai frowned for a second before smiling wide.

"I have an awesome idea," He spoke up.

Within the next few hours, Lloyd, Kai and Zane went home to see Wu and Misako and tell them the good news. Ben, Nya and Cole stayed at the police station to welcome Jay when he came out. They were ecstatic. They chatted and chatted for hours.

At around 1pm, the door to the evidence room opened and the Police Commissioner stepped out.

"I have some good news, Jay just arrived," He smiled.

"He's here!" Nya exclaimed happily.

"Finally," Cole smiled.

"You guys can wait here and he'll come out when he's ready, okay?" He told them.

"Is there any paper work or anything that we have to sign or...?" Ben wondered.

The P.C shook his head, "Since he's not the criminal, he's free to go."

They couldn't wait to see him.

Another 20 minutes passed and they were on edge. They waited desperately for that door to open. They finally gave in to waiting and decided to just start chatting again. They got so lost in conversation that they didn't even realise the evidence room door opened and closed. Nya was sat alone and the boys were sat opposite her. Cole's arm was around Ben.

"Hey guys," A familiar male voice spoke.

The three direction their attention to the other side of the room. They instantly smiled. Nya jumped out of her seat and threw herself at the boy.

"Jay!" She exclaimed. Jay picked her up and spun her around before hugging her.

"I missed you so much," Jay smiled, holding onto her tight.

"I missed you more!" Nya cried, genuine tears of happiness falling down her cheeks.

"I thought I'd never see you again," Jay told her.

Nya held onto him as tight as she could like it was the first time seeing him after a million years. All she wanted was him.

"I love you so much, Jay," She smiled, pulling away from the hug.

They looked into each other's eyes for a second before they were interrupted.

"Jay!" Cole exclaimed happily.

Nya stepped to the side to let them have their moment. Jay beamed as he saw his brother. They immediately hugged, another really tight hug.

"Things haven't been the same without you," Cole told his brother.

They stood there hugging for a minute. They both pulled away from the hug and Cole stood next to Nya, intrigued of what will happen next.

Jay looked directly at Ben, who greeted him with a smile. Jay didn't know what to do. Before the lightning ninja could say anything, Ben reached in his pocket and pulled something out. He placed it on the palm of his hand and held it out for Jay to take. Jay stepped towards him and picked it up. There were no scratches, no missing parts; it was perfect.

"I protected it," Ben told him. Jay looked at Ben with a smile.

Nya and Cole exchanged looks of confusion.

Jay wrapped his arms around Ben, pulling him into a tight hug. Ben hugged him back.

"Thank you," Jay told him.

The other two in the room smiled. This was their biggest concern. They didn't know how Jay would react when seeing Ben.

The group soon headed back to the Bounty. Cole, Nya and Ben filled Jay in with what had happened since he was in Kryptarium.

"Woah, woah, woah," Jay paused, "What do you mean you're a Kitsune?"

"I kept it from you all because I thought you'd think I'm a freak and wouldn't want anything to do with me," Ben smiled awkwardly.

"Dude, being a spirit sounds totally awesome! If I was a spirit, I'd show it off with every chance I got!" Jay exclaimed with a smile.

"Really?" Ben frowned.

Jay nodded, "I bet its really cool! Do you have any special powers?"

"I don't know... I've never really tried," Ben replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"Don't let Jay's excitement get to you," Cole punched Ben on the arm playfully. Ben blushed a little.

Jay smiled at them, "You two look really cute together."

This time, _both_ Cole and Ben blushed.

"I have to admit, they do make a great couple," Nya spoke aloud.

"Not as good as you and Jay of course," Cole replied. Ben nodded in agreement.

"We should go on a double date soon," Jay suggested.

"Woah," Ben put his arms up. Cole coughed awkwardly.

"Do you know how disastrous that will be?" Nya joked, "Don't forget I had _'history'_ with both these guys."

"I almost forgot about that," Jay laughed.

"Yeah let's not talk about that..." Cole giggled.

"If I had met Cole back then, I wouldn't have even thought about you, Nya," Ben replied.

"Oh wow, thanks," She replied sarcastically.

The four continued to chat for the next 20 minutes of their walk. They then approached the door of the Bounty that lead into the main room. All the lights were off as they entered. Jay was first to walk in. As soon as the door closed, Cole turned on the lights and everyone jumped out.

"Welcome home, Jay!"

Jay laughed and smiled at the sight of all his family and friends.

The room was decorated with blue balloons and a homemade banner reading 'welcome home'. There was a refreshments table and of course everyone was stood around in different areas of the room from where they had been hiding.

Lloyd, Kai and Zane rushed over to their friend and hugged him.

"We missed you so much, Jay!" Kai smiled.

"We're so glad to have you back," Lloyd beamed.

They moved out the way to let Jay look at the decorations.

"Aw guys, you really didn't have to do this," He smiled.

"Of course we did," Nya placed her hands on her boyfriend's shoulders, "You mean the world to us."

"Let's get this party started!!" Kai exclaimed.

Music started playing **(Ninjago songs by The Fold of course)** and everyone started dancing around. Jay laughed and joined in.

They had a great evening. Everyone was glad to have Jay back. That's all they wanted at this point. But things weren't going to be that easy. Things were about to change forever...

|The End|


End file.
